Is ICE the New Gestapo?

Led by the White House and Donald Trump, the fascist movement has been saying “shalom” to Mahmoud Khalil. This perverse use of Hebrew in the assault on the rights of everyone in America, in this attack on anti-Zionist organizing, in this gross violation and demeaning treatment of a Palestinian man just because he chose to stand up for his people and organize against genocide, is repugnant and should be universally condemned.

When I first saw this vile use of the Hebrew language my stomach turned, repulsed and furious. Shalom means peace. It is used to say hello and goodbye (and right now fascists intended it as a goodbye to Mahmoud) but first it meant peace. Hebrew speakers use it for hello and goodbye because they want to wish each other peace upon greeting one another and upon parting ways. To see Christo-fascists bastardize the language of the Jewish people, to see them use our language to enact their authoritarian regime, to see them use it to support ICE while the fascist agency acts more and more like the Gestapo that came after our people is maddening beyond words.

We know, of course, that Trump and his minions and various other fascists are deliberately invoking Hebrew in the case of Mahmoud Khalil in order to appeal to Zionists and further fuse their evil project with the apartheid colonial project in Israel. They think that people will not rally to the cause of a Palestinian man, an anti-Zionist organizer.

But we are already proving them wrong. Thousands of people around the country have already held rallies demanding Mahmoud’s freedom, and well over 2 million people have already signed a petition demanding he be released immediately – in just 48 hours. Even Democrats in Congress are demanding his release, taking an interest in the case of a Palestinian organizer in an unexpected way.

People know the stakes here. Millions want Mahmoud to be free because his kidnapping is wrong, his eight months pregnant wife needs her husband at home, and no one should be subjected to this brutal and terrifying state violence. And at the same time we know that a line has been crossed. The abduction of a man just because he holds political views that the regime disagrees with is a classic authoritarian move. The fact that he’s a green card holder also distinguishes this from other horrendous policies and attacks from the Trump regime. In the middle of countless lines being crossed, this one stands out for its blatant illegality and unapologetic fascism.

And the regime, thus far, is not backing down. Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, openly declared his intent to revoke green cards in violation of the law. Specifically he said, “We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported.” This a violation of the first amendment, which applies not only to US citizens but to everyone in this country, and a dangerous escalation against anyone who holds political views that deviate from the beliefs of the regime, including their Zionism.

But, at the same time, all is not lost. A federal judge has temporarily blocked Mahmoud’s deportation. Another hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in federal court. So keep the pressure up. The initial ruling came right as hundreds and hundreds of people protested for Mahmoud’s freedom outside the federal buildings (including the ICE offices) in lower Manhattan. We can’t know the impact of each rally, each petition, each action taken to halt this travesty, but we know that the Democrats taking up this case would be immensely unlikely if they didn’t see the massive outcry coming from every corner of the United States. So we must continue to act and increase the pressure and halt business as usual for Mahmoud.

The fascist regime will try to divide us. Their disgusting weaponization of Hebrew is just the beginning. They want to expand their powers to kidnap and deport dissidents, and they’re starting with a case that they incorrectly thought they could easily get away with. They want Jews and Palestinians divided, they want cis and trans people divided, they want straight and queer, black and white, migrants and permanent residents fighting each other so that they can exploit these divisions and expand their authoritarian regime. We can’t let that happen.

This moment demands solidarity of us with a deadly urgency. We must respond to the call, rally for Mahmoud, and do everything in our power to bring him home to our family. And then we must do the same for everyone who has been abducted by the state. The mechanisms and purpose of ICE and imprisonment and family separation are inherently harmful, inherently lend themselves to the purpose of fascists. We must tear down these tools and build networks and systems of solidarity in their place. And we must do it now.