We’re not in a civil war.
We’re not in a revolution.
But we’re not in peacetime either.
What we’re in, right now, is something like the silence before the storm. The part where the government lays the groundwork, tightens its grip, and tests how far it can go before someone pushes back.
This week, the federal government launched Project Homecoming, a mass deportation program that offers “exit bonuses” to undocumented immigrants in exchange for their permanent exile. If they refuse? They face arrest, prosecution, wage garnishment, and the confiscation of their homes and savings.
On the same day, Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, was arrested by federal agents for trying to inspect an ICE facility that may not even have the legal permits to operate. He was standing on public ground. With members of Congress. And still, they took him.
If you can arrest a mayor for asking questions, you can arrest anyone.
And then there’s this:
Trump just ordered the hiring or deputizing of 20,000 new officers to expand immigration enforcement. That includes state cops, retired federal agents, and civilians.
This is how authoritarianism builds muscle. Not overnight. Not with a bang. But quietly, with forms, proclamations, contracts.
And Now, They’re Coming for Habeas Corpus
One of the oldest legal protections in a free society—the right to challenge your imprisonment in court—is on the chopping block.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller announced Friday that the administration is actively considering suspending habeas corpus, claiming the country is under “invasion” by immigrants. This is the same legal tactic Abraham Lincoln used during the Civil War, and it has only happened four times in U.S. history. But this time, there is no war. No rebellion. Just a fabricated crisis to strip millions of people of their right to a trial.
If habeas corpus falls, the government will be able to detain immigrants—and potentially others—indefinitely, without judicial review. That’s not policy. That’s authoritarian rule.
So What Do We Do?
Not panic.
Not retreat.
And not jump to war.
But prepare.
1. Get Connected
Start local. Mutual aid groups. Church networks. Neighborhood defense. Real people you can count on when institutions fail.
2. Know Your Rights
If you’re undocumented or standing with someone who is, learn how to respond to ICE. Share that knowledge. Repeat it until it’s muscle memory.
3. Protect Your Privacy
Use encrypted messaging. Keep your location off when organizing. Don’t put your whole strategy online.
4. Be Ready to Act
Not with violence, but with presence. Court support. Jail support. Bail funds. Cameras. Witnessing. Resisting.
5. Speak
Document what’s happening. Write. Film. Tell the truth. These records may be the only history we get when the official story is a lie.
This Isn’t a War—But It Could Become One
And if it does, it won’t be because we wanted it. It’ll be because we let silence take over.
But not here. Not on this platform. Not in this moment.
We will witness.
We will stand.
And we will not give in.
Because no matter what they call it, our solidarity is resistance.