A Centuries-Old Wall: Maintaining Focus and Taking Action Against Mass Deportations

In this musing, we look at how the current mass deportations and inhumane use of ICE by the United States government parallels the Reservation Era of the 1800s and the Japanese American internment camps of the 1940s. This includes quotes from an interview with a self-proclaimed defender of these policies, which are compared to quotes from these moments of heightened tension. 

In an essay about the Israeli genocide of Palestine back in 2009, Haruki Murakami used a metaphor: “Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg.”

As Americans, there is now a broken egg right in our own backyard. Families are being ripped apart. People are being taken from their homes and kept in detention centers to do coerced labor. There is no due process, only plainclothes government agents dragging off people who fit a certain racial profile. All of this is happening in our own country. You can’t put off for a second longer making a decision on whether you stand with the egg or with the wall. You either stand with the victims of these mass deportations or you stand with government agents representing the agenda of a fascist government.

None of this is new. It didn’t start with the current ICE raids and, unless the people can come together to make a major institutional change, it won’t end with the current ICE raids. There’s never been a time in American history where immigration wasn’t an issue, but there have been times where the issue has been heightened. 

This is one of those times. Just like in the 1940s as the government threw Japanese Americans into internment camps and in the Reservation Era of the 1800s as Native Americans were forced into reservations, this isn’t just a bad policy from a bad regime, it’s a uniquely disgusting evil. 

I went back and forth about whether or not to write about this. Seeing the videos, hearing the stories, it seemed unbelievable to me that anyone would be able to come away with any conclusion other than siding with the egg.

While there have been brave individuals who have stood in the face of the fascists, there have been a disappointing number of people who have chalked this up as an inevitable and unstoppable policy of the current presidency, not understanding just how serious this is. Even more disappointing is the number of people who stand with the wall through the most inhumane thing that the United States government has done at a domestic level in a long time.

It’s nothing new. Just as the tactics used by the government now reflect the tactics used by the government as they pushed out the Native Americans in the Reservation Era and as they forced Japanese Americans into internment camps, the public opinion now reflects the public opinion then. 

I wanted to know just how closely these opinions lined up, and was surprised to see just how similar the sentiments are. 

To do this, I found a defender of these draconian immigration policies who was willing to answer a few questions, and I lined up his responses with quotes from the 1940s and the 1800s. The ideas have remained the same. 

We'll call this person "MOD" since his quotes come from the modern era. I’ll be highlighting certain quotes from his answers, but the full responses can be found at the end.

The first thing he jumped into was using national security as a justification with an absolute approach. He said, “It’s about restoring order, national sovereignty, and the fundamental principle that citizenship means something.” 

Using the same logic, this editorial from the Atlanta Constitution from 1942 about the Japanese internment camps said, “While Americans have an innate distaste for stringent measures, everyone must realize this is a total war, that there are no Americans running loose in Japan or Germany or Italy and there is absolutely no sense in this country running even the slightest risk of a major disaster from enemy groups within the nation.”

The idea that ethnic or legal status inherently undermines loyalty was a key point, as MOD stated, “Uncontrolled illegal immigration creates parallel societies and social tension.”

Pushing the same idea, a Los Angeles Times editorial from 1942 said of Japanese Americans, “And since there is no sure test for loyalty to the United States, all must be restrained.”

Both in the past and now, there is even a parallel between how they used a superficial call for equality, before showing the exceptions that they use to avoid this equality. MOD started by saying “America has always been a melting pot” before clarifying, “The key word is melting. That means people come here, legally, and become American. Learn the language, embrace the values, and contribute to the country.”

In the same way, an opinion piece in the Seattle Times in 1942 included a quote that started with “I know this is the melting pot of the world and all men are created equal and there must be no such thing as race or creed hatred…” and ended with, “but do those things go on when a country is fighting for its life? Not in my book, I am for immediate removal of every Japanese on the West Coast to a point deep in the interior.”

Assimilation was and is a key goal for these defenders. There is an idea that America is a space reserved for a certain type of person. John Henry Oberly put it in plain language in 1886: "The Indian must be imbued with the exalting egotism of American civilisation so that he will say 'I' instead of 'we' and 'this is mine' instead of 'this is ours'.” 

Using assimilation the same way, MOD said, describing his idea of how immigration should be handled, “Immigrants would assimilate, not separate. America would be strong, proud, safe”

The final thing that I want to point out, and far and away the most serious, is the framing of this as a necessary toughness. MOD justified the inhumanity of it by saying, “The ‘crackdown’ is just enforcing existing law—nothing more, nothing less…Is it tough? Yes. Is it necessary? Absolutely.” 

With the same focus, General William Sherman in 1866 said, “We must act with vindictive earnestness against the Sioux, even to their extermination, men, women, and children.”

It’s this focus on being “tough” that’s so dangerous, and why we as the people need to band together. These are the lives of human beings, of our neighbors and friends, that are at stake. 

It can be demoralizing looking at the past, especially in regards to the history of the United States. For the most part, there have been very few “wins” to look back at.  It’s something that’s difficult to deal with as a writer. A major part of the process of writing is looking at similar scenarios to determine how the scene that you’re writing will play out. As useful as this is to take this strategy when considering history, it unfortunately leads to many situations where the “bad guy” won in the end.

The Reservation Era and the Japanese American internment camps are unique though. It’s true that public opinion was overwhelmingly in support of these inhumane policies and that there was little done at the time to fight against what the government was doing. If we take a step back, however, we see that movements fighting for the rights of Native Americans and Japanese Americans eventually did come to a head after years and years of struggle. 

The Civil Rights era was key for both of these groups, and it’s worth examining as we keep our focus on the mass deportations, the mistreatment of both documented and undocumented immigrants by government agents, and the separation of families with young children. 

Now, it’s difficult to boil down the entire Civil Rights movement into a few paragraphs, let alone translate it to the modern era, but we can see that intersectionality and action are key.

At the time of this writing, a bit less than 20% of the population in the United States is Latino. After taking away the number of Latinos that are in favor of tighter borders and the number of Latinos that, understandably, are afraid of what might happen to them if they join in pushing back against the government, there are simply not enough people to make a difference alone. 

However, most Americans are working class. Most Americans are at the heel of a fascist government. Most Americans have something to lose if things continue this way. It’s only the richest of the rich and the most powerful that have anything to gain. With a movement focused on intersectionality, the numbers shift in favor of the people.

The other takeaway, that aggressive action is needed, is easier said than done. The combination of the endless flow of disagreeable policies, of how capitalism wears down the working class, and of the constant stream of curated media being pushed on us is pacifying. It’s so easy to do nothing. 

But, this isn’t the time to do nothing. We can’t sit back and do nothing.

Not everyone can get out and protest, I get it. There are a million reasons why that specifically is difficult for some people. But, you have gifts. Don’t waste them. Whatever your particular talents are, whether that is organizing, promoting, writing, or anything else, find a way to actually do something about it. Your neighbors, your community, real people with families, passions, and goals, are depending on you.

As the news pushes new tragedies out, don’t lose sight.

—

For those curious, here is the full conversation with MOD: 

J.B. Exte: What is your opinion on ICE and how they have been handling the increased crackdown on undocumented immigrants?

MOD: ICE, under President Trump’s America-First leadership, is finally doing what the American people have demanded for years: actually enforcing the law. Before Trump, administrations from both parties turned a blind eye to illegal immigration, but ICE got real results when given the green light. The “crackdown” is just enforcing existing law—nothing more, nothing less. It’s about restoring order, national sovereignty, and the fundamental principle that citizenship means something. Is it tough? Yes. Is it necessary? Absolutely. The vast majority of ICE agents are patriots, doing an incredibly difficult job, often facing hostility from politicians who’d rather virtue signal than protect their own citizens. In my opinion, ICE deserves more support, more resources, and the full backing of the American people and government. Without borders, you don’t have a country.

J.B. Exte: How do you feel about the protests, both the organic protests popping up in LA and other areas on the coast, as well as the No King’s protests?

MOD: Look, America is a free country—protest is part of our DNA. But let’s be honest: many of these so-called “organic” protests aren’t organic at all. They’re orchestrated by activist groups, NGOs, and big money donors who want to undermine law and order for their own gain. The media spins these crowds as “grassroots,” but it’s a political operation—especially in LA, San Francisco, and the coasts. As for “No King’s” protests, the irony is laughable: they demand “democracy,” but won’t respect the results when the American people elect a President like Trump. I respect free speech, but the minute protests turn violent, block highways, or destroy property, it’s no longer about “expression”—it’s about intimidation and chaos. That’s not America. Law-abiding citizens should always come first. Peaceful protest? Fine. Riots and mobs? Shut them down.

J.B. Exte: How do you feel about the idea that America should be a “melting pot” of various cultures?

MOD: America has always been a melting pot—not a “salad bowl.” The key word is melting. That means people come here, legally, and become American. Learn the language, embrace the values, and contribute to the country. We are not here to Balkanize ourselves into a thousand little identity groups, each with their own flag, language, and rules. The magic of America is unity—“E Pluribus Unum”—out of many, one. The left has twisted the melting pot into multiculturalism run amok, where every culture is celebrated except our own. That’s not the point. The only way this experiment works is if everyone, no matter where they come from, puts America first and becomes part of the American story.

J.B. Exte: What do you think the effects of Latin American immigrants are on a US city?

MOD: Let’s be clear: Legal immigrants from Latin America have built great lives here and contributed to this country in countless ways. That’s not the issue. The problem is illegal immigration on a mass scale, which overwhelms cities—especially on the Southern border, but increasingly across the whole country. The effects? Strained public services, overcrowded schools, depressed wages for working Americans, more pressure on hospitals and law enforcement, and—yes—sometimes higher crime. Sanctuary cities invite chaos and burden local taxpayers, often in working-class neighborhoods least able to absorb it. Instead of helping legal immigrants assimilate and succeed, uncontrolled illegal immigration creates parallel societies and social tension. We want legal immigrants who love America and want to be part of it, not open borders that turn our cities into battlegrounds for global problems.

J.B. Exte: If you could snap your fingers and everything relating to immigration is solved the way you want it to be, how would that look, including both how the immigration procedure would look and how American culture would look?

MOD: Snap my fingers? Here’s what you’d see: Strong, secure borders—a real wall, not just a metaphor, and the political will to enforce it. E-Verify mandatory nationwide, no more sanctuary cities, and an immigration system that serves American interests. We’d welcome people who respect our laws, want to work, and bring something to the table—no more chain migration, no more lottery. Merit-based immigration only. If you want to be American, you apply, you wait your turn, and you come here the right way. No more freebies for lawbreakers, period.

Culturally, we’d see a renaissance of American pride: English as the common language, the flag respected, history taught honestly but with pride, and a real sense of unity. Immigrants would assimilate, not separate. America would be strong, proud, safe—and every legal immigrant would know they are part of something unique, not just another consumer in a borderless market. America first, always.