One of the men goes for her phone. The other grabs at her hands. Ozturk screams. Shock and fear ripple through her voice. Two masked women join them, tugging at her backpack, peeling the straps from her shoulders. “I’m going somewhere, I need to call someone,” she pleads. “We’re the police. Relax,” one of the men says in response.
They surround her. Then, one by one, they pull their neck gaiters up to cover their faces. “You don’t look like police,” a voice off screen says. “Why are you hiding your faces?” The questions continue, but the figures don’t respond. Instead, they cuff Ozturk, cross the street, and put her in an unmarked SUV. She is gone.
Sorry to hear that, bud. If it’s any consolation, I think the media is making it seem like these sorts of events are more commonplace than they actually are, and the Trump administration is so incompetent that they are actually lagging far behind the Biden administration who set the record for most deportations in a single term.
That being said, it’s not the quantity, but the brazen unlawfulness of each and every one of these extrajudicial deportations that is the concerning part. We’re still only 2 months into this administration and it feels like a year has passed already with the absolute blitz of unlawful and corrupt conduct coming from the White House.
I’m not ready to give up the fight just yet, but I feel like true civil war is inevitable at this point unless by some miracle there are adults out there with the gumption to take the wheel back from Trump and Musk and start steering the ship in the right direction again while there’s still time.
Stay strong and keep your chin up. As long as your are prepared one step ahead of everyone else, you’ll likely be okay. Even if that’s just making sure you have a bag packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice.