Anxiety in an upside-down world

3/17/25

Writing to survive the trump administration. Episode 49: Anxiety in an upside-down world

Well, I’m feeling very anxious today! I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I also realize that at least part of this feeling is coming from the actions of the current administration in general, and their most recent blatant disregard for a court order to stop the planes deporting hundreds of people – not to Venezuela where presumably most of them were originally from, but to a prison in El Salvador.

There are so many problems with this: the administration took the action by invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which is supposed to be used only in times of war. But we’re not at war! Also: the people being deported were accused of belonging to a gang, but they were given no trial… and they weren’t even sent back to the country they’re supposedly from, but to a foreign prison! I’m not sure how anyone is still thinking we live in a democracy, when the administration is doing things like this.

I’m also not sure what any one of us is supposed to do about it. We can keep calling our representatives, keep speaking up if we know or see immigrants or other folks being targeted in our own communities. There is bound to be some burnout associated with staying hypervigilant to all the inhumanity here, so we have to keep taking care of ourselves and each other too, and know that this is a marathon we’re running, not a sprint. We can take breaks when we need, but we can’t ever turn away and pretend it will all just work itself out. We need to stay in it together.