Let’s say plainly… We are watching people be questioned, detained, and arrested by ICE because they “don’t look like us.”Not because they committed a crime.
Not because they crossed a border.But because their skin, their hair, their accent, or their presence triggered someone else’s suspicion.
That should chill every American.We all live on Indigenous land.Every city.
Every suburb.
Every resort, golf course, office tower, courthouse, and cul-de-sac.
None of it started with us.
And yet here we are, demanding proof of belonging from people whose ancestors never crossed a border because the border crossed them.
When Indigenous people are questioned or asked for tribal ID to justify their existence on this land, that is not law enforcement.
That is historical amnesia with a badge.
When brown people are stopped because they “don’t look American,” that is not security.That is racial profiling dressed up as policy.
America does not have a look.It never did.
This country was built by people who looked different, worshipped differently, spoke differently, and came from different places and timelines.
Some arrived in chains.
Some arrived desperate.Some were already here and paid the highest price of all.
So let’s be clear about the danger of what’s happening: When appearance becomes probable cause, no one is safe.
When belonging requires proof, citizenship becomes conditional.
When law enforcement starts asking “Who looks like they belong?” we are no longer enforcing laws, we are enforcing bias.
That is not patriotism.
That is fear wearing authority.
If your version of America requires questioning people who don’t resemble you, then your version is smaller, weaker, and far less American than you think.
Because the truth is unavoidable: You don’t get to live on stolen land, benefit from its wealth, and then interrogate others about whether they belong.
America isn’t defined by how people look.It’s defined by whether we remember who we are and who was here long before us.
And right now, we are being tested.
WHILE I BREATHE 