It Was Never About Law and Order

There is a lie we keep being told, and an even more dangerous lie we tell ourselves: that this is all about “law and order.”

But when you slow down and actually look at what is happening, the story falls apart.

If you are using undocumented immigrants’ tax records to locate them and abduct them, then it was never about taxes. People who were told to file, encouraged to contribute, and assured their information was safe did exactly that. Turning compliance into a tracking device is not fiscal responsibility. It is betrayal. It sends a clear message: participation will be punished, honesty will be used against you, and trust is a trap.

If you are showing up at their places of employment, then it was never about them “not working.” For decades, immigrant labor has been quietly relied upon to build homes, harvest food, clean offices, care for children, and keep entire industries afloat. To raid workplaces is not to expose laziness. It is to target productivity itself, to punish people for showing up, for clocking in, for doing exactly what society demanded of them.

If you are waiting for them at courthouses, then it was never about “doing it the right way.” Courthouses are where people go to follow rules, to attend hearings, to comply with orders, to seek protection, and to resolve disputes. Turning those spaces into ambush sites destroys the very idea of lawful process. When obedience becomes a liability, the system no longer rewards compliance. It trains people to hide, not to participate.

If you are kidnapping women and children, then it was never about criminals. Children are not criminals. Mothers seeking safety are not threats. Families torn apart in parking lots and living rooms are not violent offenders. When force is used indiscriminately, when terror replaces targeting, the goal is no longer safety. It is fear.

If you are refusing due process, then it was never about the Constitution. The Constitution does not apply “when convenient.” It does not belong only to citizens we like or people who vote the right way. Due process exists precisely to prevent power from acting on impulse, prejudice, or vengeance. When people are denied hearings, lawyers, and basic rights, the Constitution is not being defended. It is being hollowed out.

If you are spending billions to make all of this happen, then it was never about the economy. There is nothing fiscally conservative about destabilizing labor markets, breaking up families who contribute economically, or pouring taxpayer money into cruelty theater. An economy built on fear is not efficient. It is fragile.

And if all of this is being done in the name of a 34-time convicted felon, then it was never about following the law. The contradiction is too loud to ignore. Law is not sacred when it is selectively enforced. Justice is not blind when loyalty outweighs legality.

So let’s stop pretending this is about paperwork, borders, or budgets.

This is about power. This is about control. This is about deciding whose humanity counts and whose can be discarded.

History has seen this pattern before. It always begins with justification and ends with regret. The question is not whether this will be judged. It will be. The only question is who will be able to say, honestly, that they recognized the lie while there was still time to name it.

Because when cruelty becomes policy, silence is not neutrality. It is participation.