With the current executive administration heavily targeting every minority group from Hispanics to transgender people, a growing faction of the persecuted are wondering: “Why are we still here? If the ruling part of the country wants us out so badly, why don’t we leave on our own terms?” And from a strictly objective lens, this philosophy makes a lot of sense.
In President Donald Trump’s first month in office, 37,660 illegal immigrants were deported (Reuters), and that number continues to grow exponentially with the numerous ICE raids happening around the country. Additionally, president Trump has routinely floated the idea of deporting U.S. citizens for committing crimes (ABC), and the deportation of Maryland citizen Kilmar Abrego Garcia, along with multiple planeloads of alleged gang members (several of which had no prior US criminal records (ABC)), show he’s not afraid to try.
While former presidents like Joe Biden and especially Barack Obama also deported large numbers of immigrants during their terms, never before has an administration been so confident in and open about the increasingly inhumane methods being used for deportation. Photos and videos (real and AI) are routinely broadcast by the president and the Department of Homeland Security, proudly displaying ICE agents raiding stores and homes and forcibly removing people from their locations (including a bizarre montage of arrests set to the Pokémon theme song, complete with a flashing slideshow of immigrants’ pictures on Pokémon trading cards).
Along with other barriers like the Trump Gold Card, a $1 million dollar visa to live in the United States, it’s getting harder and more dangerous for large minority groups to remain in the population. Because of this, a lot of people are strongly considering leaving while they still can. Among these is one Monte Vista junior, who believes that leaving the country could soon become the only option.
“I feel [the US] is becoming an increasingly authoritarian state,” said the junior. “I think leaving becomes increasingly favorable since our checks and balances are heavily diminished, with all three branches [of government] aligned politically.”
On the other hand, many people are opting to stay and fight for their place in the country. One look at the enormous amount of “No Kings” protests and the enormous presence of minority groups like Hispanics and LGBTQ+ in these rallies proves that a significant amount of persecuted classes are more than willing to advocate for their right to remain living here.
At the “No Kings” rallies on October 18, nearly 7 million people showed up across the nation to protest Mr. Trump’s handling of the country (CNN), around 2% of the US population. These enormous numbers amount to the largest single-day protest in American history (Wikipedia), proving that people in the States are not going to take persecution lying down.
While both sides share extremely rational points, history has been shown to praise the people that stand their ground as opposed to the people that flee. While campaigns like the Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage movements were not short or simple, they nonetheless led to permanent and positive change in the United States. And while it’s unlikely that even the most enormous protests will take effect soon, leaving the United States prematurely doesn’t help anybody besides the people who escape. After all, nothing can change if nothing is done to change it.
