Conversations about Trump's terror campaign against us all

I’m a U.S citizen, as are all the people closest to me. And yet Trump’s reign of terror is everywhere around me, as it is around most of us if we’re paying attention. 

I told someone I was going to a No Kings protest over the weekend. They asked where the protests would be – so they could be sure to go nowhere near one. Not because they disagree with the aim. Because they're an immigrant and if ICE should show up at a protest and start grabbing people, they don't trust in their legal status to protect them.

Talked to a business owner. They talked about what they've done to protect their workers – the immigration lawyer on retainer, the "know your rights" cards distributed to all the staff, the parts of the stores marked as staff only because ICE isn't supposed to (emphasis on supposed to) go past that sign without a warrant. But they also talked about the pervasive fear among their workers, and how they can't do anything about that.

"Does anyone want a whistle? I can get you one."

Someone I've been acquainted with for a few years but have never had a serious conversation with asked in a low voice "do you know an immigration lawyer?" Their green card application had been turned down for what they thought was basically a translation issue. I brought them a list of immigration attorneys – some pro bono organizations and some private practices – but within a couple weeks I saw that Trump had put their country of origin on his ban list. They'd already spent thousands of dollars seeking that green card. They have at least one U.S. citizen child.

During the height of the assault on Minneapolis, between the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, we heard from someone – a brown-skinned U.S. citizen from an immigrant family – who had to go to another part of Minnesota for work. We asked on social media if people knew where ICE was most active outside the Twin Cities, and the answer wasn't comforting: agricultural areas, going after farm workers. Our friend was going to an agricultural area. Stay on the interstates as much as you can, we said. Carry your passport, but don't actually expect it to help if you're stopped. Hearing they'd finished their time in Minnesota brought a physical sense of relief.

This leaves out other conversations—ones that touch on children, ones I couldn’t fully anonymize. Because, again, it’s everywhere. And this is just one of the kinds of harm Trump is doing.

What conversations have you had that show how thoroughly this administration is traumatizing and damaging the people of this country?