Thank you for your bravery, Heather. Please don't forget how many civil servants like my partner have been fired by the fascists. Those of us who remain are doing everything we can to document the regime's crimes while undermining it, but we need support from all who defend democracy: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/state-department-purge
Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. About everything ❤️🩹🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, and those in a committee that fits your topic.
You can also use the 5 Calls app if you're calling just your own House rep and Senators. the scripts are great and it makes it quick and easy to do!
Be sure to demand Congress only allow safe crypto which is only CBDC -- central bank digitial currency issued by the US Federal Reserve with authorization from Congress. The crypto lobby has become so powerful that some Senate Democrats voted for the GENIUS Act, which doesn't do enough to limit crypto to only what is safe. There is a House bill now and, soon, a companion Senate bill that is confusing. Demand your House rep and Senators explain what those bills would do and what their votes are going to be and why while letting them know that you know that CBDCs are the only safe form of crypto and, without adequate legislation/regulations, our economy and personal financial security is at serious risk due to unregulated crypto + the economic and financial impacts of budget bill that just passed.
POTUS is pushing to get crypto legislation through Congress the same as he did the budget bill. We've seen this play before. Contact your House reps and Senators via phone, email and/or in person visits and be diplomatically assertive. I let mine know that if they fail to represent me and constituents like me in favor of the crypto lobby I'll work hard to elect someone else who will represent me and other constitutents like me! I'm aware, educated and engaged and know how to help elect my "Congress critters" as Dr. Richardson likes to call them!
Here’s the buried lede: Trump was re-elected in part because of his promise to strengthen border security, but now his administration is using attacks on immigrants to impose a police state.
''Weaponizing Immigration: A Manufactured Crisis Rooted in Fear and Control''
The U.S. immigration debate isn’t really about security, it’s about scapegoating, social conditioning, and the calculated use of fear to justify cruelty. Despite broad public support for humane immigration reform, the MAGA movement continues to push a narrative that dehumanizes migrants and fuels policies bordering on crimes against humanity.
By framing immigrants as threats, political operatives redirect public frustration away from systemic inequality and onto vulnerable people. This scapegoating mirrors historic atrocities, where governments have used targeted groups to consolidate power, spread fear, and distract from their own failures. Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, accusing immigrants of eating pets or turning cities into "war zones," is not accidental. It is psychological conditioning designed to erode empathy and normalize state violence.
Decades of bipartisan policy failures laid the groundwork for this crisis, but today’s hardline policies such as mass detention, forced deportations, and legal power grabs cross ethical lines. The same machinery that imprisoned innocent children now works to expand a police state under the guise of "border control." These tactics echo early warning signs of authoritarianism, where control is maintained through dehumanization and fear.
Yet the American public is not as divided as politicians pretend. Most support paths to citizenship and recognize the value of immigration. The real crisis isn’t at the border. It is in a system that is being hijacked to justify injustice. We don’t need more cages, we need courage, compassion, and long-overdue reform.
Thank you Michael I really appreciate that information. But in any case it is breaking the law and these billions of lawbreakers must be removed from our country. I understand the attraction to coming but America can’t help the world any longer we have to help ourselves.
These people who are be round up are not immigrants they are criminals. They broke the law. They entered the United States legally. They have been used to illegally alter the voting process of the various states. And expand the Democratic Party which has been losing members due to a shift away from centralized ideas. The process used by ICE has been on the books for decades. Now it is being enforced. It is these sanctuary cities that are breaking the law in protecting illegal immigrants. The process of legal immigration is ongoing and unaffected.
You’re wrong on multiple counts. Entering the U.S. without documents is a civil violation, not a criminal act. ICE is now bypassing due process, violating constitutional rights with unlawful raids and detentions. Sanctuary cities uphold the Constitution, but ICE often does not. There is zero evidence of widespread immigrant voting fraud. What’s really happening is racial profiling and fear tactics, not law enforcement. If you care about the law, start by defending the Constitution.
Entering the U.S. without authorization is usually a misdemeanor under 8 U.S. Code § 1325, not a felony, unless it is a repeat offense after deportation, which can then be a felony under 8 U.S. Code § 1326. Most undocumented immigrants are entitled to a court hearing before deportation, especially if they claim asylum or have been in the country for more than two weeks. However, in specific cases such as recent arrivals caught near the border who do not request asylum, expedited removal can apply, allowing deportation without a hearing. So the claim that it is always a felony and that there are never court hearings is false.
Thank you for this historical perspective on immigration in the US!
Reminder to everyone in this community -- please,
- Continue to call your House reps and Senators via the 5 Calls app
- Participate in as many rallies and protests as you can do safely
- If you're in Indivisible or other community organizing/advocacy/activitist groups, partner with your local immigration rights organizations to do collaborate with/support them to do advocacy at the state and local levels
As Dr. Richardson's said, it's going to be a difficult summer. So, also, please, take breaks -- take care of yourselves. She and I both enjoy hiking and kayaking, bidpedal exercise that works like EMDR therapy works for stress/trauma management and recovery at the physiological level. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating well and staying fit for your health and overall well-being. Find your truth (which we can do right here from Dr. Richardson) and a sense of agency for yourself, whatever that looks like for you, which will be different for every individual. We all have different talents. During the pandemic, some folks made masks. Not everyone -- self included -- has skills to do that. Do whatever it is that you can do that gives you a sense of agency in this situation --
- phone banks
- post cards
- canvassing in elections
- volunteering at your local precinct
- registering people to vote
- traveling to states where voter suppression is a big problem and helping to overcome that
- supporting others, especially young folks, who lack the experiential wisdom we older folks have
- leading hikes or kayaking outings for less experienced folks
- grow a garden of vegetables and fruits and, if possible, show others how to do that
Whatever your talents, use them so that you experience a sense of agency in this situation.
I wish everyone in the US would read/listen to this history of immigration. Maybe, maybe, it would be better understood. Although MAGA wouldn’t deign to believe actual, historical, factual truth over the full blown lies of this regime. It’s evil, cruel, vile and despicable.
I contacted Grasley's office in Sioux City, reminding them that the Farm Bill was 638 days overdue. The lady I spoke to said, "He's working on it." Except he's not.
Understanding some of the history of migration is helpful & sure isn't being presented by journalists as we need it to be in order to have informed opinions . I hope it will comes to be in fashion to pay attention to serious people, competent in their jobs. I guess I took that somewhat for granted thinking I could largely ignore politics for a long time. Ignoring a problem, it didn't go away!
I fear that the problem is a significant number of people won't - or can't- follow the nuances of the history of immigration policy as Professor Richardson laid out. You can't squeeze it on a bumper sticker, and you can't explain it in 90 seconds on a newscast.
The Supreme Court’s current stays on lower court TRO’s on Donald Trump's Executive actions, orders and interferences rely on a presumption of legitimacy that he is not entitled to, given the merits of the evidence of his disqualification and could be a powerful check on obstruction efforts and otherwise circular defenses employed to sidestep many merited claims, blocked by similar presumptions, and could also be used to justify action in other branches, or enable career officials and officers to disobey unconstitutional orders with greater confidence they will receive proper scrutiny, regardless of downstream removal enforcement outcomes.
Preview of Oral Argument before Judge Reyes, DC on July 21, 2025
Good summary. I remember when the borders were much more open and there was a lot less fuss about the back and forth. Also there is no other way to bookend the replacement theory hogwash but by racism and credulity. A lot of people seem to not mind lying for what they feel that they believe in.
Thank you for your bravery, Heather. Please don't forget how many civil servants like my partner have been fired by the fascists. Those of us who remain are doing everything we can to document the regime's crimes while undermining it, but we need support from all who defend democracy: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/state-department-purge
Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. About everything ❤️🩹🤍💙
Use/share this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Reach out to those in your own state, and those in a committee that fits your topic.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit?usp=drivesdk
You can also use the 5 Calls app if you're calling just your own House rep and Senators. the scripts are great and it makes it quick and easy to do!
Be sure to demand Congress only allow safe crypto which is only CBDC -- central bank digitial currency issued by the US Federal Reserve with authorization from Congress. The crypto lobby has become so powerful that some Senate Democrats voted for the GENIUS Act, which doesn't do enough to limit crypto to only what is safe. There is a House bill now and, soon, a companion Senate bill that is confusing. Demand your House rep and Senators explain what those bills would do and what their votes are going to be and why while letting them know that you know that CBDCs are the only safe form of crypto and, without adequate legislation/regulations, our economy and personal financial security is at serious risk due to unregulated crypto + the economic and financial impacts of budget bill that just passed.
POTUS is pushing to get crypto legislation through Congress the same as he did the budget bill. We've seen this play before. Contact your House reps and Senators via phone, email and/or in person visits and be diplomatically assertive. I let mine know that if they fail to represent me and constituents like me in favor of the crypto lobby I'll work hard to elect someone else who will represent me and other constitutents like me! I'm aware, educated and engaged and know how to help elect my "Congress critters" as Dr. Richardson likes to call them!
Here’s the buried lede: Trump was re-elected in part because of his promise to strengthen border security, but now his administration is using attacks on immigrants to impose a police state.
Short and sweet you have hit this nail in the head. Nailed it, as it were!
''Weaponizing Immigration: A Manufactured Crisis Rooted in Fear and Control''
The U.S. immigration debate isn’t really about security, it’s about scapegoating, social conditioning, and the calculated use of fear to justify cruelty. Despite broad public support for humane immigration reform, the MAGA movement continues to push a narrative that dehumanizes migrants and fuels policies bordering on crimes against humanity.
By framing immigrants as threats, political operatives redirect public frustration away from systemic inequality and onto vulnerable people. This scapegoating mirrors historic atrocities, where governments have used targeted groups to consolidate power, spread fear, and distract from their own failures. Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric, accusing immigrants of eating pets or turning cities into "war zones," is not accidental. It is psychological conditioning designed to erode empathy and normalize state violence.
Decades of bipartisan policy failures laid the groundwork for this crisis, but today’s hardline policies such as mass detention, forced deportations, and legal power grabs cross ethical lines. The same machinery that imprisoned innocent children now works to expand a police state under the guise of "border control." These tactics echo early warning signs of authoritarianism, where control is maintained through dehumanization and fear.
Yet the American public is not as divided as politicians pretend. Most support paths to citizenship and recognize the value of immigration. The real crisis isn’t at the border. It is in a system that is being hijacked to justify injustice. We don’t need more cages, we need courage, compassion, and long-overdue reform.
Thank you Michael I really appreciate that information. But in any case it is breaking the law and these billions of lawbreakers must be removed from our country. I understand the attraction to coming but America can’t help the world any longer we have to help ourselves.
These people who are be round up are not immigrants they are criminals. They broke the law. They entered the United States legally. They have been used to illegally alter the voting process of the various states. And expand the Democratic Party which has been losing members due to a shift away from centralized ideas. The process used by ICE has been on the books for decades. Now it is being enforced. It is these sanctuary cities that are breaking the law in protecting illegal immigrants. The process of legal immigration is ongoing and unaffected.
You’re wrong on multiple counts. Entering the U.S. without documents is a civil violation, not a criminal act. ICE is now bypassing due process, violating constitutional rights with unlawful raids and detentions. Sanctuary cities uphold the Constitution, but ICE often does not. There is zero evidence of widespread immigrant voting fraud. What’s really happening is racial profiling and fear tactics, not law enforcement. If you care about the law, start by defending the Constitution.
You are wrong Michael it is a criminal felony to enter the U.S. illegally. Subject to immediate deportation. No court hearing.
Entering the U.S. without authorization is usually a misdemeanor under 8 U.S. Code § 1325, not a felony, unless it is a repeat offense after deportation, which can then be a felony under 8 U.S. Code § 1326. Most undocumented immigrants are entitled to a court hearing before deportation, especially if they claim asylum or have been in the country for more than two weeks. However, in specific cases such as recent arrivals caught near the border who do not request asylum, expedited removal can apply, allowing deportation without a hearing. So the claim that it is always a felony and that there are never court hearings is false.
Thank you for this historical perspective on immigration in the US!
Reminder to everyone in this community -- please,
- Continue to call your House reps and Senators via the 5 Calls app
- Participate in as many rallies and protests as you can do safely
- If you're in Indivisible or other community organizing/advocacy/activitist groups, partner with your local immigration rights organizations to do collaborate with/support them to do advocacy at the state and local levels
As Dr. Richardson's said, it's going to be a difficult summer. So, also, please, take breaks -- take care of yourselves. She and I both enjoy hiking and kayaking, bidpedal exercise that works like EMDR therapy works for stress/trauma management and recovery at the physiological level. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, eating well and staying fit for your health and overall well-being. Find your truth (which we can do right here from Dr. Richardson) and a sense of agency for yourself, whatever that looks like for you, which will be different for every individual. We all have different talents. During the pandemic, some folks made masks. Not everyone -- self included -- has skills to do that. Do whatever it is that you can do that gives you a sense of agency in this situation --
- phone banks
- post cards
- canvassing in elections
- volunteering at your local precinct
- registering people to vote
- traveling to states where voter suppression is a big problem and helping to overcome that
- supporting others, especially young folks, who lack the experiential wisdom we older folks have
- leading hikes or kayaking outings for less experienced folks
- grow a garden of vegetables and fruits and, if possible, show others how to do that
Whatever your talents, use them so that you experience a sense of agency in this situation.
And, most of all, remember to breathe!
I wish everyone in the US would read/listen to this history of immigration. Maybe, maybe, it would be better understood. Although MAGA wouldn’t deign to believe actual, historical, factual truth over the full blown lies of this regime. It’s evil, cruel, vile and despicable.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I contacted Grasley's office in Sioux City, reminding them that the Farm Bill was 638 days overdue. The lady I spoke to said, "He's working on it." Except he's not.
Understanding some of the history of migration is helpful & sure isn't being presented by journalists as we need it to be in order to have informed opinions . I hope it will comes to be in fashion to pay attention to serious people, competent in their jobs. I guess I took that somewhat for granted thinking I could largely ignore politics for a long time. Ignoring a problem, it didn't go away!
I fear that the problem is a significant number of people won't - or can't- follow the nuances of the history of immigration policy as Professor Richardson laid out. You can't squeeze it on a bumper sticker, and you can't explain it in 90 seconds on a newscast.
Hearther, your work is amazing. I suspect that ICE agents are cruel and Trump is cruel as well.
Keep the USA safe from the people that are in the administration...
Excellent review in 17 minutes. Thank you
Heather Cox Richardson for President!!! The country needs someone who understands its history.
This is an incredibly important history that most people do not know
So important
The Supreme Court’s current stays on lower court TRO’s on Donald Trump's Executive actions, orders and interferences rely on a presumption of legitimacy that he is not entitled to, given the merits of the evidence of his disqualification and could be a powerful check on obstruction efforts and otherwise circular defenses employed to sidestep many merited claims, blocked by similar presumptions, and could also be used to justify action in other branches, or enable career officials and officers to disobey unconstitutional orders with greater confidence they will receive proper scrutiny, regardless of downstream removal enforcement outcomes.
Preview of Oral Argument before Judge Reyes, DC on July 21, 2025
https://open.substack.com/pub/randoliberal/p/updates-on-trump-disqualification?r=u47dz&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Good summary. I remember when the borders were much more open and there was a lot less fuss about the back and forth. Also there is no other way to bookend the replacement theory hogwash but by racism and credulity. A lot of people seem to not mind lying for what they feel that they believe in.