The Authoritarian State Is Here—And The American Public Doesn’t Approve
What’s happening now is what we’ve long warned: After nearly a decade of fearmongering, millions spent vilifying immigrants, and a relentless campaign to redefine cruelty as policy, Trump’s authoritarian state is no longer hypothetical—it’s taking shape. And unless Congress acts, they’re about to hand him $150 billion to lock it in with impunity.
In just the past week, we’ve seen a sweeping racist travel ban take effect; 700 Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles to violently suppress protests against ICE raids and forced disappearances of immigrant community members; Members of Congress blocked from inspecting detention sites; and Kilmar Abrego Garcia—a Maryland father wrongfully deported to a Salvadoran megaprison—returned only to be indicted on fabricated charges.
And that’s just on U.S. soil. The Trump administration is also preparing to imprison migrants in Guantanamo Bay in massive numbers—up to 9,000 people already under review. They've also struck a deal with Kosovo to accept migrants from third countries the U.S. wants to expel—migrants with no connection to the region whatsoever.
And this week, House Republicans launched a sweeping investigation into over 200 immigrant-serving NGOs, accusing them—with zero evidence—of "fueling the border crisis." These are the very same organizations that stepped in when cities were overwhelmed, who provided food, shelter, and legal aid where the federal government refused. Now they’re being smeared as criminal enterprises while Trump throws billions at military parades, surveillance, and mass detention.
This isn’t policy. It’s persecution. And Congress is on the verge of funding it.
The Latest Abuses of Power
The 12-Country Blacklist: Banning Non-White Visa Holders
Trump’s new ban blocks nationals from 12 countries—mostly in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean—with additional restrictions on seven more. Meanwhile, expedited refugee admissions continue for white South Africans. It’s a brutally clear message: America is open only to those deemed “desirable” (read: white).
Kilmar Abrego Garcia: From Megaprison to Show Trial
After public outrage and a Supreme Court order forced the administration to bring Kilmar home, they indicted him anyway—based on jailhouse testimony and flimsy evidence. A federal prosecutor resigned in protest. His wife learned of the charges from the news. This is not justice—it’s retribution.
Marines in the Streets of L.A.
Marines and National Guard troops were deployed to violently suppress protests over ICE raids and detentions. SEIU California President David Huerta was injured, jailed, and now faces charges. California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a response to the administration, suing them for overreach as Homan threatened his own arrest.
Congress Shut Out. Oversight Denied.
Reps. Maxine Waters, Jimmy Gomez, Nydia Velázquez, and others were denied entry to ICE detention centers—some sprayed with irritants by federal agents. The message is clear: Trump is hiding the machinery of cruelty from public view.
Guantanamo Bay and Third Country Disappearances
Thousands of migrants are now being vetted for transfer to Guantanamo Bay—a facility long known for holding terrorism suspects. ACLU lawsuits describe punitive conditions, indefinite confinement, and coercion into deportation. Simultaneously, the U.S. has secured a new deal with Kosovo, a country unrelated to the deportees, to accept migrants the administration can’t send elsewhere. It’s deportation without destination—and without regard for international law.
Trump Targets Immigration NGOs
More than 200 nonprofit organizations are under federal investigation for allegedly “fueling” the border crisis—an outrageous smear against groups providing life-saving aid and legal support in cities that welcomed migrants but received none of the federal support Trump funneled into militarization.
Why This Matters Now
The public has made up its mind: they don’t want mass deportations. They want a path forward.
A recent Quinnipiac poll shows 56% of voters oppose Trump’s deportation approach, and AP-NORC shows 53% disapprove of his handling of immigration overall—a number that’s trended downward since April. Support for mass enforcement is even weaker when the public is given a choice: a pathway to citizenship consistently beats mass deportation as the preferred solution to immigration.
The Quinnipiac poll also shows growing opposition to Trump’s budget bill, with 53% of voters opposing it, including a majority of Independents (57%). Meanwhile, only 38% approve of Trump’s job performance overall, and approval for both parties in Congress is even lower—indicating a deep dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Additional June polling conducted by Immigration Hub and Swayable confirms that Americans oppose the core elements of Trump’s immigration agenda—the same elements now being fast-tracked in the GOP’s reconciliation bill:
Over half of Americans (54%), including 70% of Democrats and 57% Independents, oppose allowing ICE agents unlimited power to arrest immigrants anywhere, including churches, schools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of work.
61% of those surveyed, including 62% of Independents and nearly half of Republicans (49%), opposed stripping legal status from immigrants in the U.S., including those who fled dangerous countries or helped our troops in Afghanistan, turning legal residents into targets for deportation.
61% of Americans, including 64% of Independents and 48% of Republicans, oppose building detention camps across the country
63% of respondents, including 66% of Independents and 50% of Republicans, opposed the indefinite detention of long-term U.S. residents in foreign prisons with no court hearing or due process.
59% of Americans oppose ending the constitutional guarantee of citizenship to all individuals born in the U.S. 61% of Independents also demonstrated opposition.
Despite this clear public opposition, Congress is poised to approve the $150 billion reconciliation bill that would double ICE arrest quotas, reopen abusive family jails, fund detention outsourcing to third countries like El Salvador and Kosovo, impose massive fees on asylum seekers and their sponsors, expand a domestic surveillance dragnet, and strip judicial review to fast-track disappearances with no due process.
This isn’t speculative. It’s already underway—in classrooms, courtrooms, and communities across the country. Every vote for this funding is a vote to escalate forced removals, foreign disappearances, and the erosion of core civil rights.
The public has spoken. Our leaders must hear them.
 | A guest post by
|