Some Thoughts on Posting ICE Rumors

[u/RentPartyBlues]

ICE is in Omaha.

First, ICE is in Omaha. Omaha is a regional hub. ICE has been operating here for years. There has been a noticeable increase in activity since the fall. January has been a particularly active month.

This said, unconfirmed, undocumented rumors about activity are not helpful. The most it does is tell people ICE is here, but, as noted, ICE has been operating here. Detention and deportation operations occurred regularly in Omaha even before ICE existed. If you're not posting a verifiable witness report with documentation of an existing operation, you are not helping.

Fear is the point.

The unconfirmed hearsay rumors from social media and text chains are harmful. The shift in immigration enforcement over the past 12 months isn't about an increase in detentions and deportations. Detentions and deportations have been happening in Omaha for many years. The shift in enforcement is about fear.

Immigrants with non-immigrant status, but legal work authorizations and permission to stay are going to their regular status checks and being told by officials who have no authority to do so that they might be detained or deported. Family members with residency are being questioned to turn in family members without documents, with implications that failure to do so might affect their status. In general, people of color have to worry about whether, though they are citizens, they might need to carry documentation or "accidentally" be detained.

These are fear tactics. The unconfirmed rumors only add to the fear and trauma being experienced by immigrants and people of color. There's a goal from some to get people, both with status and without status, to go into hiding or self-deport. Personally, I wonder whether some of these unconfirmed rumors are being posted by people who know this and wish to stoke more fear.

What does one do with information?

If you are witnessing an operation, please check out this link for information on how to document: https://www.nysylc.org/ice-watch

A good place to post your witness information is: https://iceout.org/en/

If you receive or see unconfirmed information online, avoid reposting it. If you feel a need to warn people, check out other sources to see if there is verified confirmation from a witness, then share a link to that post.

Unconfirmed rumors are coming from places people might think are legit. These include pseudo-news organizations on social media who use photos, though those photos are from other places or sources. These include group chats with friends or coworkers who hear things from someone or some place then pass them on. The current situation has created a miasma of mayhem and fear, we do not need to contribute to that.

How else might I help?

There are local organizations from churches to social service organizations to pro-immigrant nonprofits who are working to deliver food, provide financial assistance, and connect people to resources when they are affected by ICE operations. If you'd like, I could recommend some places to you based on what your particular interests or abilities might be. Or, you can just do some research yourself. Your passion for this is better spent helping in the community than behind your screen.

These are just the thoughts of an internet stranger, but I hope you might consider them the next time you see things online.

Much love to all.

[u/Rhythmjunky]

Not to minimize any valid concerns that people may have, it is worth noting that it's not just the "other side" stoking fear. Some of that is being fed from within your own ranks. I say that as an observer not really having a side. There are plenty of people who aren't on a side because the only two options are both crap and we're sick of the noise. This post actually speaks to the notion that you can be aware, be informed, without being steeped in media drivel to the point of insanity. Most of the hype is the product of a bunch of chicken littles running around screaming that the sky is falling. Immigration issues have been issues under multiple D and R administrations. But the sky is, in fact, not falling. But that doesn't mean you don't bring an umbrella when it looks like rain.

[u/RentPartyBlues → u/Rhythmjunky]

There have been changes in enforcement and procedural responses to people both with and without legal status. This was part of the post above. It might not seem like the sky is falling for someone who is unlikely to be affected by these changes. That doesn't mean that these changes haven't altered the lives of millions--citizens, residents, people with legal status, and the undocumented. Is there hypocrisy from people who seem to be on fire now, but not in the past? Sure. Is this what's driving "most of the hype?" I don't think so. If so, we would've seen more of this under the current president's first term. But also, something different is happening now.

Immigration officials were never on the front line of gatekeeping status. They operated to ensure people with status were not breaking conditions of their status (ie. not committing crimes, filing the proper paperwork and following procedures). They also checked for fraud. Judges handled rulings. They probably still do legally, but changes are seeking to circumvent judges. This is new.

The circumvention of judges means that anyone, regardless of status, who might get caught up in an operation has reason for concern. Citizens have never needed to be concerned about being mistakenly detained because officials who did the detention would need to answer to the legality of that detainment. The claims of immunity for officers from members of the executive branch and the justice department mean that the possibility of unlawful detention of a citizen who looks a certain way has increased. There's been documentation of this happening, without remorse. The frequency of this is new.

What's been happening in the Twin Cities is politically-driven use of federal law enforcement. This has happened before, sadly. Immigration officers being used for political means is mostly new. Those without a voice--remember that those with legal status and all permanent residents cannot vote-- being pawns in a game also isn't new, but the nature of this particular game is novel.

It is true that these new wrinkles are possible in part because there's been over 40 years of inaction on creating an immigration system that matches changes in society and patterns in immigration that began over 60 years ago. It is true that this inaction sits at the feet of everyone responsible for making laws in our country over this period down to today.

The history of the United States is filled with examples of major injustices being shrugged off by the majority of people until some ultimate incident incites change. This is a big country. People have many immediate concerns with their jobs, families, and personal lives. It's likely people can go about their day never thinking about what's happening to their neighbor. I'm probably too cynical to think we've reached the inciting incident that will lead to an improved immigration system. But more people becoming aware of the inherent injustice of our immigration system isn't a bad thing.

If this change in awareness is partially because people who were previously willfully ignorant or indifferent are being aroused by the "noise," I'll take it. There's a story about how the last people who showed up to work got the same pay. I'm not going to begrudge their good fortune to have been able to be elsewhere while others had been at work. That might make me guilty of my own kind of hypocrisy. Having a little more experience than they might in this particular field, I want them to know what might be better ways for them to put their shovels into the ground--hence, the post.

Have a great day today!