In fulfilment of a promise he made consistently on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump has begun the aggressive crackdown on undocumented individuals in the United States. There are many, including those who voted for him, who naively and gullibly believed that he did not mean what he promised; it was just Trump being Trump, full of bluster and reaching into the inner recesses of his narcissistic, impulsive, and transactional self.

I for one never doubted that he meant what he said. One may not like what Trump says or how he goes about doing things, but for a politician he is amazingly transparent about his intentions. In his first appearance, he often did what he said he would do, although with a bit more diffidence, born of the fact that he was at the wicket for the first time and did not quite understand the contours of the complex American Government.

This time around he has experience and has had time to imbibe his mistakes and make sure that he does not make them in his present iteration. One of those is to insist that he has lieutenants who will do his bidding without question. It is not just that they should be loyal to him, but they should demonstrate fealty, as if their lives depended on it. He has bought the Republican Party for a mess of pottage or better — 30 pieces of silver or memecoin.

With the immense power given to him by the Supreme Court concerning his official duties as president, he is more emboldened this time around. Almost anything he says or does can be considered as being consistent with his duties as president. Furthermore, he knows that the immigration matter was one of the quickest ways in which he could stamp his presence in the minds of Americans as doing his job.

It is not only this, but the matter of immigration appears to be a subject in which he has a vested interest. For him it is a reality show, a reboot of the
Apprentice; thus, there has to be a shock and awe aspect to what he is doing. He is playing to a gullible press which is far too compliant in showing at great length the indignity of people being arrested and the fear they are experiencing. In the pavilion, his MAGA (Make America Great Again) base is loving every moment of it. Their joy will turn to sorrow when the agony turns up at their door or that of their friends and family members.

As the reality of what he promised takes shape, there is a palpable fear across America, especially in the Hispanic and Caribbean communities. Many in these communities whose relatives and friends voted for Trump misguidedly believed that it was in their best interest to do so. Even if they thought otherwise, I doubt they would have voted against him, as many could not abide the idea of a woman, least of all a black woman, ruling over them. Now that promise is becoming reality, there is uncertainty, fear, and consternation in the land.

As the US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents fan out across the country and move into neighbourhoods, many are appalled at the show of force by the officers and the police who accompany them. Quite apart from the cold weather in which their activities are being conducted, the icy freeze of their tactics has left many frozen in their tracks. If there was any stout resistance to their presence, Trump would not hesitate to declare a national immigration emergency so he could use the military to enforce his will.

But there is no such resistance, even on the part of Democratic governors in whose states the raids are heavily concentrated. It might be that ICE agents are detaining criminals and undocumented people, but, as has been the case in some instances, many are being detained for deportation who did not commit a crime other than just being in the country illegally. The Trump Administration has declared any such person as having broken the law and hence a criminal.

There seems to be overwhelming consensus among a vast number of Americans that illegal residents who have committed crimes should be rounded up and deported. I have no problem with this except for those who simply overstayed their visas, with whom I fully empathise. But the excessive, aggressive, and fear-driven tactics of the agents for public show cannot be countenanced.

I am especially concerned for the many Jamaicans whose only crime is that they overstayed their visas or otherwise made their way to America in pursuit of a better life. Many have been in America for a very long time and have carefully assimilated themselves into the culture and are making a good living for themselves. It pains the heart to see these people being arrested with a view to being shipped out of the country to an uncertain life in Jamaica.

There is due process that has to be engaged, according to the rule of law. The Jamaican diplomatic corps, beginning with the ambassador, must play a critical role in seeing to it that their rights to appeal are attended to. Those who cannot afford a lawyer should be given help. I hope hotlines have been established at the consular offices where people can call in without fear to establish their status. This has to start now. For many it is an existential crisis.

As for those who did not recognise the great opportunity they had in America and turned to crime instead, they will not receive a great deal of empathy. Nevertheless, Jamaica must prepare for their return.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged those so deported not to run afoul of the law. They will either meet the judge or their maker, he declared. This is strong talk but falls heavily to the ground if proper arrangements are not made to interrogate these people when they hit our shores and before they are let loose in the general population.

ALGAJ Kerfuffle

All well-thinking Jamaicans should condemn, without reservation, the bad behaviour of councillors which abruptly ended the annual meeting of the Association of Local Government Authorities of Jamaica (ALGAJ) last Friday at the Golf View Hotel in Mandeville. It is understood that when it was time to elect officers for the association, councillors swarmed the platform and sought to take the microphone from the sitting president, Winston Maragh, former Mayor of May Pen. He was understood to have been injured in the kerfuffle and had to seek medical attention.

Whatever the reason for the protest, the fact remains that this was a poor show on the part of those who brought the meeting to a premature end. There was an absence of the civility and decency expected of those who hold public office. Civilised behaviour calls for the norms of decency to be observed at all times, if even for the young to be taught that this should be so. There is now a crassness that has overtaken public discourse in our country. I am not going to put this solely at the feet of social media, which is often pilloried for generating what we see. I put it squarely in the laps of those who represent us, who are paid handsomely for the work they do, but who seem to have forgotten what good manners and etiquette are about. A pox on both their houses — People’s National Party and Jamaica Labour Party — for this dastardly behaviour!

Dr Raulston Nembhard is a priest, social commentator, and author of the books Finding Peace in the Midst of Life’s Storms; The Self-esteem Guide to a Better Life; and Beyond Petulance: Republican Politics and the Future of America. He hosts a podcast — Mango Tree Dialogues— on his YouTube channel. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or stead6655@aol.com.