CARTOON: Link To Legal Resources For Your Immigrant Neighbors

When the government behaves this way to immigrants, don’t be surprised if one day soon you find yourself on the wrong side of the corporate state and are treated in the same manner.

Cartoon by Mark Taylor / DeMOCKracy.ink

CLUELESS: Trump’s Abusive Immigration Raids Completely Miss The Cause Of Illegal Immigration

Truly, the border crisis is fully “American Made” and perpetuated.

By Mark Taylor
DeMOCKracy.ink (1/24/25)

The federal round-up of illegal immigrants has the foul odor of Gestapo-grade callous brutality. To begin with, I want to make clear I am not opposed to clear and secure national borders and the security needed to achieve that. Clearly, the essentially ‘open borders’ policy of the Biden administration was both a failure and betrayal of the country. I believe legal immigration is a net positive for any nation and the pathway to that should be clear, consistent and fair. Secure borders are the essential starting point.

At the same time. what we are seeing now with Trump policies is abusive, disgraceful and should concern all Americans. When the government bullies immigrants, don’t be surprised if one day soon you find yourself on the wrong side of the corporate state and are treated the same way. My just saying this puts me on the wrong side of the corporate state.

The Trump administration has now said it’s okay for US Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to enter and arrest people in previously off-limits areas of churches, schools and hospitals. Clearly boundaryless fascism designed to stir up terror.

Fundamental error America always makes

As usual with the United States, there is a confusion between “A” problem and “THE” problem. Mass illegal immigration is indeed “A” problem that leads to many other problems. But “THE” problem is many-faceted and lies completely within the borders of the United States, beginning with colonial diplomatic, economic, corporate terrorism and military abuse throughout Latin America.

We have actively participated in the theft of land from indigenous farming communities to enrich American agricultural, oil and mining corporations. Our CIA has orchestrated countless coups and assassinations in order to kill off labor movements put our own fascist stooges in power to serve Wall Street corporate interests and bottom lines.

The rise of the brutal drug cartels, which have caused many to flee northward, are serving the addiction of who? Americans. The cartels are fully American Made! It is the rise of drug addiction throughout our corrupt and collapsing society that is fueling the marketplace and profits of those drug gangs terrorizing their communities with automatic weapons made where? Oh, yeah, the United State! Guns: one of our few manufactured exports.

Truly, the border crisis is fully “American Made” and perpetuated.

At best, ICE may be able to manage and trim back some of the ragged edges of the crisis, but the origins of the immigration problem lies fully in our bipartisan, Wall Street-controlled fascist government. Adding a few guys with buckets of water won’t put out a forest fire we continue to feed with tinder.

Trump’s Assault On Immigrants Is Coming — Here’s What You Need To Know. Link to story

NOTE: Today’s Democracy Now! had a good update on the fascist round-up now underway. Link to 18-minute video

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10 Concrete Things You Can Do To Resist Trump 2.0

Demonstrators protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in New York City on February 6, 2021. (Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)

By Robert Reich
Common Dreams (1/23/25)

In light of Trump II’s predictably cruel and bonkers beginning, many people are asking: “What can I do now?” Here are 10 recommendations.

1. Protect the decent and hardworking members of your communities who are undocumented or whose parents are undocumented.

This is an urgent moral call to action. As U.S. President Donald Trump’s ICE begins roundups and deportations, many good people are endangered and understandably frightened.

One of Trump’s new executive orders allows ICE to arrest undocumented immigrants at or near schools, places of worship, healthcare sites, shelters, and relief centers—thereby deterring them from sending their kids to school or getting help they need.

So-called “sanctuary” cities and states have laws prohibiting their schools, public hospitals, and police from turning over undocumented individuals to the federal government or providing information about them. These are sensible policies. Otherwise undocumented people who are ill, including those with communicable diseases, won’t go to public hospitals for treatment. Parents will be reluctant to send their children to school. Crime victims who are undocumented will hesitate before reporting crimes for fear that they could then face being deported.

If you trust your mayor or city manager, check in with their offices to see what they are doing to protect vulnerable families in your community. Join others in voluntary efforts to keep ICE away from hospitals, schools, and shelters.

Organize and mobilize your community to support it as a sanctuary city, and to support your state as a sanctuary state. Trump’s Justice Department is already launching investigations of cities and states that go against federal immigration orders, laying the groundwork for legal challenges to local laws and forcing compliance with the executive branch. Your voice and organizing could be helpful in fighting back.

I recommend you order these red cards from Immigrant Legal Resources Center and make them available in and around your community: Red Cards / Tarjetas Rojas | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC. You might also find these of use: Immigration Preparedness Toolkit | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC.

[See the links below.]

2. Protect LGBTQ+ members of your community. Trump may make life far more difficult for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other people through executive orders, changes in laws, alterations in civil rights laws, or changes in how such laws are enforced.

His election and his rhetoric might also unleash hatefulness by bigoted people in your community.

I urge you to work with others in being vigilant against prejudice and bigotry, wherever it might break out. When you see or hear it, call it out. Join with others to stop it. If you trust your local city officials, get them involved. If you trust your local police, alert them as well.

3. Help protect officials in your community or state whom Trump and his administration are targeting for vengeance. Some may be low-level officials, such as election workers. If they do not have the means to legally defend themselves, you might help them or consider a GoFundMe campaign. If you hear of anyone who seeks to harm them, immediately alert local law-enforcement officials.

4. Participate or organize boycotts of companies that are enabling the Trump regime, starting with Elon Musk’s X and Tesla, and any companies that advertise on X or on Fox News. Don’t underestimate the effectiveness of consumer boycotts. Corporations invest heavily in their brand names and the goodwill associated with them. Loud, boisterous, attention-getting boycotts can harm brand names and reduce the prices of corporations’ shares of stock.

5. To the extent you are able, fund groups that are litigating against Trump. Much of the action over the next months and years will be in the federal courts. The groups initiating legislation that I know and trust include the American Civil Liberties Union, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Fund, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Common Cause.

6. Spread the truth. Get news through reliable sources, and spread it. If you hear anyone spreading lies and Trump propaganda, including local media, contradict them with facts and their sources.

Here are some of the sources I currently rely on for the truth: Democracy Now, Business Insider,The New Yorker, The American Prospect, The Atlantic, Americans for Tax Fairness, Economic Policy Institute, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The Guardian,ProPublica, Labor Notes, The Lever, Popular Information, Heather Cox Richardson, and, of course,this Substack.

7. Urge friends, relatives, and acquaintances to avoid Trump propaganda outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, X, and, increasingly, Facebook and Instagram. They are filled with hateful bigotry and toxic and dangerous lies. For some people, these propaganda sources can also be addictive; help the people you know wean themselves off them.

8. Push for progressive measures in your community and state. Local and state governments retain significant power. Join groups that are moving your city or state forward, in contrast to regressive moves at the federal level. Lobby, instigate, organize, and fundraise for progressive legislators. Support progressive leaders.

9. Encourage worker action. Most labor unions are on the right side—seeking to build worker power and resist repression. You can support them by joining picket lines and boycotts and encouraging employees to organize in places you patronize.

10. Keep the faith. Do not give up on America. Remember, Trump won the popular vote by only 1.5 points. By any historical measure, this was a squeaker. In the House, the Republicans’ five-seat lead is the smallest since the Great Depression. In the Senate, Republicans lost half of 2024’s competitive Senate races, including in four states Trump won.

America has deep problems, to be sure. Which is why we can’t give up on it—or give up the fights for social justice, equal political rights, equal opportunity, and the rule of law. The forces of Trumpian repression and neofascism would like nothing better than for us to give up. Then they’d win it all. We cannot allow them to.

We will never give up.

Beyond these, please be sure to find room in your life for joy, fun, and laughter. Do not let Trump and his darkness take you over. Just as it’s important not to give up the fight, it’s critically important to take care of yourself. If you obsess about Trump and fall down the rabbit hole of outrage, worry, and anxiety, you won’t be able to keep fighting.

Link to story

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Immigration Preparedness Toolkit

Immigration Legal Resource Center

The ILRC’s Immigration Preparedness Toolkit is a resource-packed informational document designed to help immigrants with no legal status or in mixed status families begin to understand the immigration legal landscape and plan for their own journey through an ever-changing, complex system in the United States.

This free toolkit offers in-depth, yet easily accessible information that outlines the basics about a variety of topics including:

• Your rights during ICE confrontations,

• The different types of immigration options available,

• Ideas for building your consultation roadmap,

• And tips on covering your bases while waiting for relief.

This 13-page resource also incorporates links to other helpful reference documents, fact sheets, and tools readers can use to construct their own personalized plan.

Link to information

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KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: Red Cards / ‘Tarjetas Rojas’

Immigration Legal Resource Center

All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home.

Todas las personas en los Estados Unidos - sin importar su estatus migratorio - tienen derechos y protecciones bajo la constitución del país. Nuestras Tarjetas Rojas ayudan a los inmigrantes ejercer esos derechos y protegerse en muchas situaciones, como cuando agentes de inmigración visitan nuestras viviendas.

Special thanks to our many partners who contributed translations in the various languages now available, making these red cards accessible to more individuals.

Ordering Red Cards

PLEASE NOTE: Due to an unprecedented demand, we are temporarily closing our form that allows Non-Profits to access Red Cards for free. For orders already submitted, processing times may be longer than usual. For expedited service, you have the options listed below.

1. Print Your Own: The artwork for printing your own cards is available at the bottom of this page. These are formatted as standard 3.5” by 2” business cards. Any print or copy shop should be able to work from these files. Translated versions are designed to support monolingual immigrants translate their rights with immigration officers. We strongly recommend printing these with rounded corners and a coated finish for durability. You can also print them on your own personal printer.

2. Businesses, Private Attorneys, and Orders of 1000+: Order from www.RedCardOrders.com. This is a union-run printer set up to accept your order, print, and ship the cards directly to you. You will have to pay the printer for your order.

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Para Ordenar Tarjetas Rojas

ADVERTENCIA: Por causa de necesidad sin precedente, cerramos temporalmente nuestro formulario que permite a las organizaciones sin fines de lucro acceder a las tarjetas rojas de forma gratuita. Para los pedidos actuales, el tiempo de procesamiento puede ser más largo de lo normal. Para obtener un servicio acelerado, ofrecemos las opciones listadas abajo.

1. Imprime directamente: Los archivos para imprimir sus propias tarjetas están disponible en la parte inferior de esta página. Estas tienen el formato estándar de tarjetas de presentación de 3.5" x 2" (ideal para billetera). Cualquier imprenta o negocio para sacar copias debería poder trabajar con estos archivos sin problema. Las versiones traducidas están diseñadas para ayudar a los inmigrantes monolingües a traducir sus derechos ante los funcionarios de inmigración. Recomendamos imprimirlas con esquinas redondeadas y un acabado recubierto para mayor durabilidad. También puede imprimirlas en su propia impresora personal.

2. Negocios, abogados privados, y los que buscan ordenes de más de 1,000: Usen en enlace www.RedCardOrders.com para someter sus órdenes. Esta es una compañía organizada por sindicato de trabajadores que pueden enviar las tarjetas directamente. Tendrá que pagarle a la impresora por su orden.

Please see here for further information on how to use your Red Cards.

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Aquí puede encontrar más información sobre cómo se puede utilizar su tarjeta. También asegure visitar este enlace para aprender lo que puede hacer si se encuentra frente un agente de inmigración: https://www.wehaverights.us/spanish.

Download of Red Cards in a number of languages available in link below.

Link to story