Many are familiar with the poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller that begins with “First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out. Because I was not a Communist.” (emphasis added) That poem has been on my mind frequently since President Trump took office for the second time in January, especially in relation to immigrants.
The last few months the administration has been changing our democracy and systems of checks and balances at a breakneck speed. Many have dubbed it flooding the field because it is a tactic for overwhelming the opposition. The changes are too numerous to recount here.
In his inauguration speech, President Trump promised that the administration will recognize only “two genders, male and female.” That promise resulted in an executive order that was signed on the first day of his presidency. This order has created problems with passports and travel, restricted health care, censorship, the trans military ban being reinstated, and increased harassment of trans people. Unlike the poem, allies and trans people have pushed back against discrimination. Ten lawsuits have been filed against the administration’s anti-trans policies, and four have resulted in temporary restraining orders.
Many communities around the country have passed resolutions and ordinances seeking to protect LGBTQ and trans rights, including Northampton, Greenfield, Pittsfield, Waltham, Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, and Salem. In Greenfield, I was moved as trans neighbors shared their fears and stories of harassment since being targeted by the administration.
Next they came for the immigrants. Deporting immigrants has been another big focus of the administration. President Trump has spoken repeatedly about the need to protect citizens from dangerous criminals who are here illegally, yet the majority of those being detained do not match that description. Instead, we are seeing international students, parents, and migrant workers being swept up by masked guards. As of late June, it is estimated that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is holding roughly 59,000 detainees. More than 1,500 have been detained in Massachusetts, including raids in Amherst and Red Fire Farm workers in Springfield. This is creating a chilling effect in immigrant communities forcing people to avoid leaving their homes, often skipping medical care. These are our friends and neighbors—the people who pick our vegetables and build our homes.
Despite constantly feeling like not enough is being done, the magnitude and reach of protests is much larger this time around. Throughout the spring and summer there have been hundreds of protests against these detentions, including the large ones in Los Angeles.
At Peace Development Fund, we’ve been in conversations with dozens of other foundations about what we can do to call attention to the situation and aid those affected. Last month, we made the decision to send out 10 rapid response grants (we usually only send one a month) to organizations locally and around the country who are organizing against the raids and supporting the families and communities of those detained. We were especially happy to support the work of the Valley Workers Center, who helped create the Luce Immigrant Justice Network of Massachusetts. Luce’s ICE hotline, (617-370-5035), helps verify suspected ICE activity to dispel rumors and warn communities.
It would be easy to create a new poem of all of the marginalized groups that the administration has come for or is coming for. I hope we continue to change the verse to say, but I stood up even when I wasn’t trans or an immigrant or Muslim or whoever is next on the list. (emphasis added) It will be hard to continue to muster a response as fatigue sets in, but let us not be the one they came for and there was no one left to speak for. ■