I'm a child of immigrants and am in n immigrant family! ICE is terrifying whenever we travel, whenever my family tries to advocate that they deserve to stay with each other, etc.
I worry every day if I can raise my two younger siblings by myself should my parents ever be deported!
Your position seems to start from an assumption that these institutions are acting in good faith, and so it’s illogical to decry an institution if it doesn’t directly impact you. I pray you look at the gamut of evidence available that shows this simply isn’t the case.
[0] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/ar...
Imagine the cost of setting all that up, and going through the process with each student to get their visas. Only to tell them on arrival they’ve been tricked.
What exactly were they trying to accomplish with that?
Edit: This appears further down that article:
> "Those data show that from 2007 through July of last year, 693 U.S. citizens were held in local jails on federal detainers — in other words, at the request of immigration officials. And 818 more Americans were held in immigration detention centers during that same time frame, according to data obtained through a separate FOIA request by Northwestern University professor Jacqueline Stevens and analyzed by NPR."
693 + 818 = 1,511
Now, honest question, no sarcasm.
~100 people die EACH DAY in car crashes in USA. 25 people die annually due to lightning strikes.
Is there any chance to not being depressed with all of that stats? I mean, if 150 detentions per year in nation of 327 million people (0.000045%) make you depressed and terrified, what are your chance to feel yourself content and happy?
They might've just lost their jobs, ended up late on rent, or going without medicine, but they were "only just detained."
> Is there any chance to not being depressed with all of that stats?
These are deaths of effectively random chance, not of systematic persecution riding on the back of nationalism waving a fasces. Each one of these detentions is a policy failure and, as we live in at least nominally Democracy, there is culpability on every American unless they take any action. This weight is what bears down on people, but it seems that you are, rather worryingly, insulated or alienated from this violence.
> what are your chance to feel yourself content and happy?
Why are so eager to change this to a subjective matter when this directly deals with objective violence?
Yes, and again, how many people default on their student debts each year? Probably x100 times more? And the outcome is more or less the same? And still ICE is the problem?
Honestly, I just don't understand the priorities here, and again, zero sarcasm. Student debt is 1.4 TRILLION dollars, if you dont repay it you end up late on rent, go without medicine, have your wage garnished, but let's revolt around 151 people each year being detained for some time.
Honestly, if I was looking for systematic persecution, I would rather look at student debt crisis, if I correctly understand what "systematic" and "policy failure" means. (English is my second language).
EDIT: "7.5 million student loan borrowers in default and nearly 2 million others seriously behind on their payments", source NYT. Surely 1511 beat 7 500 000 as "systematic" and "policy failure".
EDIT2: And if we speak frankly, "Young people in U.S. dying at high rates" is the reason their crippling 1.4T debt or their crippling fear of being detained by ICE?
I'm not sure we should ignore flagrant disregard for the law just because more people die in car accidents but that's just me.
In a country of 300M people, you will never, ever get rid of some injustice and tragedy. You will always have some rapes, some orphans, people wrongfully jailed, stuff like that. That's just a harsh truth of human existence and I accept it as a mere mortal.
But let's be concerned about an agency abusing it's power and harming 151 people per year. Student loan industry makes millions of people miserable each year, and contribute to "young people in US dying at high rates", but since it's all within the law and said industry not abusing it's power at all, we can just disregard it.
Honestly, it's just a crazy talk to me. Let's abolish ICE and death rate for young adults in US will improve instantly, right? Or maybe let's fix that 1.5T of debt which literally kills mostly young adults?
Constantly exposing yourself to and decidedly feeling immense personal guilt for all the violence perpetrated in a country of 300+ million and/or a world of 7+ billion is hopelessly naive and self sabotaging, unless you fancy yourself a God who is out to save the world.
>when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you. -Nietzsche
>There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. -Epictetus
Those are the numbers they were willing to give up, too. I assume you don't see the problem with the government choosing to just pull American citizens off the street?
As a child of immigrants and proud American, I’m not sure “terrifying” is a fair response. It’s certainly uncomfortable. But it shouldn’t be enough to push one (here legally) into depression to the point of suicide or drug use.
This is probably the darkest distillation of 2019 neoliberal energy I've heard across many platforms.
"That shouldn't push one into depression to the point of suicide or drug use."
Please spend some effort in 2020 developing empathy for other humans.
It would be unsustainable to let in everybody who wants to move to another country. That's why quotas, background checks, etc exist.
Entering a country illegally knowing that it will mean you'll be splitting your family in half speaks volumes about the morals and compassion of the person who does that.
It's odd to me that people started worrying about ICE en mass when Trump became president. It's an organization that has existed since 2003. In addition nearly every country in the world has similar or more stringent policies. Yet no one talks about that and they act as if ICE is unique in some capacity. It's hard to see that as anything other than politically motivated or misguided by media propaganda.
I wish you all the best and brighter days in the future.
EDIT: oh, btw your comment resonated with me because of the 'scream into the night' thing. That's also how I felt when I was a teenager who was into punkrock. There's this sense that your suffering somehow accomplishes a sort of martyrdom. But it really doesn't and it only helps to further one's negative thoughts.
Just because I'm depressed about these things doesn't mean I'm depressed. Or at least not usually. Life's weird.
Look around and find the things that you can pick up and improve.
This is just a list of current media narratives.
The solution is to stop letting the media do your thinking for you and instead find something productive and fulfilling to do with your time and attention.
While your response is incredibly callous and privileged, it's beautifully on point in regards to the feeling of many people: you're so incredibly alienated from the political process, why not go do something _productive_ because you better commodify every waking moment.
Also, there are many ways to improve the world and human society outside of the political process. If more people did what GP did and focused on their own personal well being and strengthening local/community/familial ties outside and apart of any political motivations, I think our culture and society would be the better for it.
Personally, I only have 3 weekday-hours outside of work/sleep/cooking, plus weekends. Half is spent socializing or relaxing, the other half I channel environmental concerns into volunteering in science activism (education, campaigning, networking, and donating to PACs).
Outside of climate and science, I don't really follow other news above local politics. My reps are aligned with me on Trump. China/Hong Kong, same, plus I already boycott Chinese goods. Staying current on all is depressing... but individually acting on one thing is meaningful and motivating.
You had a good chance of getting almost any college degree, good job and ride the happy 90's without student debt and paying off your mortgage for a property that will increase in price at least x2 next decade.