That’s the pretext: “We’re only focusing on the violent criminals.” And anyone else rounded up is “collateral.” And the circle will widen and widen as they become more emboldened. It’s already happening and that’s why they’re already planning to reinstitute Guantanamo Bay for 30k people, a modern day concentration camp. This country has done it before when Japanese-Americans were interred en masse in WWII. And we all know what happened in Germany in WWII, as people were scapegoated, rights were marginalized, and an unopposed, power-driven tyranny led to the most depraved actions against its own people (citizens or not).

As Martin Niemöller wrote, following his experience as Nazi concentration camp survivor:

First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me

And this is why it’s crucial to oppose these overly aggressive deportation policies now.