This commentary is by Rubaina Anjum, a graduate student at the University of Vermont (UVM) studying economics and sustainability. She is a member of UVM Graduate Students United, United Autoworkers Local 2322. The views expressed here are Anjum’s and do not necessarily reflect those of UVM.
A couple of weeks ago, I took the Amtrak Vermonter to Northampton, Mass., gazing out the window as the train wound its way through the snow-covered countryside.
Our state’s picturesque landscapes usually fill me with joy. However, on this occasion, my idyllic railway reverie was interrupted by a large sign outside a little house.
It read, “Muslim-free zone.”
I am no stranger to Islamophobia, although since I am not visibly Muslim and do not have an obviously Muslim name, it is not often aimed directly at me.
But I was unsettled by this sign. It had just been a day since the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Jonathan Ross. Since then, another person, Alex Pretti, has been fatally shot.
The ongoing ICE actions in Minnesota have been spurred by xenophobia toward the predominantly Muslim Somali community.
These events, together with the Trump administration’s actions against every group that does not fit into its vision for the country, swirled around in my head.
Did the occupant of that little house perhaps apply to be an ICE agent? Who indeed are the people hiding behind the masks?
Friends, comrades, Vermonters — it gives me little pleasure to tell you this, but I am compelled. I believe the worst is yet to come, and yes, it will make its way to our allegedly progressive state. It is only a matter of time.
I bring to your attention National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7). This is a presidential memorandum that essentially sets the federal government’s priorities.
NSPM-7 tasks federal law enforcement with pursuing domestic terrorism, but in a way that preempts it. You might ask, how do you preempt an act of terrorism? The memorandum lists a set of criteria to help identify the likelihood of someone committing terrorism.
Some of these include anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, anti-Christianity, extremism on migration, race or gender, and hostility toward those who hold traditional American views on family, religion and morality.
Is one anti-American for opposing war? What is extremism on migration? Believing that migrants should enjoy the same liberties and freedoms as everyone else?
What is extremism on race? Believing that the descendants of enslaved people should receive reparations? What is extremism on gender? Just being transgender?
Am I hostile to traditional American views on family simply because I do not believe that the only valid type of family is a heterosexual couple and their children?
This directive will be used to go after anyone the federal government does not like. In fact, because of it, the federal government is investigating Renee Nicole Good and her partner, a gay couple, rather than the ICE agent who killed her.
So, what is to be done?
I see many of you at protests and rallies. Community and mutual aid organizations, such as Migrant Justice, have come together to protect one another. I am immensely grateful for your presence and action. There is also the Vermont Senate bill S.208, which could bar federal agents from wearing masks. It will likely be legally challenged, but we must fight at every front.
But to the rest of you, I ask — where are you and what are you doing?
There is no political opposition fighting for us. Barring a handful of individuals, the national leaders of the Democratic Party are doing next to nothing as Trump’s agents terrify immigrants, grabbing them from the streets, breaking into their homes and racially profiling them — which is now legal according to the U.S. Supreme Court.
After the immigrants, who is next?
No one is coming to save us. We must do it ourselves.
It’s important to attend rallies and protests, but it’s not enough. Strategy and structure are paramount. Membership-based organizations offer existing structures and resources. These include workers’ unions and organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the largest socialist organization in the country, a prominent member of which is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Many people, including myself, have criticisms of DSA; yet it is the only member-driven organization that is large enough to be effective and has an existing structure to work with.
As someone who studies governance, I know that these structures are immensely difficult and time-consuming to build. Since it is a member-driven organization, you can take advantage of it.
If you think there is something you want done that is not happening, organize people to make it happen.
Further, we must all engage in political education, learning the history of those who have fought before.
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote: “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
Now is the time to act.
