Three voices from Trump’s immigration crackdown
A personal story from Nepal + fitness tips from an ultramarathoner (Issue #394)
Since Trump’s return to office, questions of borders, citizenship, and identity have dominated headlines and conversations. Which rights are recognized, which are denied, and whether documents, public service, or even citizenship can still offer protection are all uncertain. Citizens and visitors of Latin descent alike are left wondering what — if anything — can shield them from scrutiny or harassment.
For federal employee and veteran , Trump’s second term has upended what had been a stable career. A Hispanic lesbian with more than twenty years at the Department of Defense, she suddenly found her workdays consumed by abrupt policy changes, mandatory 6 a.m. meetings, and supervisors who couldn’t keep their directives straight. And with the shifting political climate, she noticed her colleagues becoming emboldened to make racist and transphobic remarks. After two decades of service, she took early retirement — not because she wanted to leave, but because the workplace had become unlivable.
From her home in a border town, Mexican teacher describes how Trump’s return to office has made even short visits to the U.S. feel dangerous. What were once casual trips to shop or see her boyfriend in Los Angeles now carry the threat of detention. She describes reading story after story of travelers detained despite proper documents, stripped of due process, and treated as suspects because of their last names or skin color. Even as a legal visitor, she fears being searched, questioned, or humiliated at the discretion of an ICE agent. What was once a simple trip has become, for her, a symbol of lost dignity and the message that Mexicans are no longer welcome in the United States.
In Chicago, has watched Trump’s rhetoric translate into real threats against Latines — even toward U.S. citizens like him. The son of Mexican immigrants, he describes watching federal troops prepare to “hunt Latinos” in his city and wonders if his Spanish name alone could make him a target. The current administration, he argues, has normalized treating them as scapegoats for crime, economic decline, and cultural shifts — stoking fears not just of deportation but of violence. He explains how masked ICE officers in public places and polls showing majority support for mass deportations cast people of Latin descent as outsiders in their own country.
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Recommended reading:
- Two decades ago, was the kid who faked being sick to skip gym class; now she’s an ultramarathoner and kettlebell coach. She distills her journey into twenty lessons. Among them: Never miss two workouts in a row, break the impossible into small segments, and learn to love the long game.
- “You will be back,” a jeweler told on his first visit to Paris. Ryan wasn’t convinced. After a week of tourist landmarks and expensive meals, he left disappointed. When he returned years later, he skipped the luxury circuit and stayed on the Left Bank, where afternoons in bookstores and the Jardin du Luxembourg showed him that Paris is a place you only really start to see the second time around.
- The internet once felt like a place, with home pages, site addresses, and browsers named for exploration. Product designer argues that infinite scroll, algorithmic feeds, and push notifications rewired us to skim instead of reflect. If design created shallow thinking, she writes, then design can also restore depth.
- Forget pricey iPads and other electronic gadgets — geneticist argues the best children’s toy is a $5 shovel. At the park, it keeps kids occupied, works as a natural icebreaker with other children, and even gives parents an excuse to dig alongside them. Simple, durable, and endlessly useful, the shovel makes a strong case for going low-tech.
- When Nepal’s government abruptly banned 26 major social media platforms, young people flooded the streets in protest. Writing from Kathmandu, a Nepalese student describes how a movement fueled by Gen Z’s anger at corruption turned deadly, with reports of police firing live rounds, harassing the injured in hospitals, and threatening citizens in their homes. Amid the fear, he wonders whether peaceful change is still possible.
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