Naturalized Selection
In the final hours of the battle over the Senate Bill, Elon Musk and Donald Trump reignited their feud. Musk threatened to form a new political party and Trump threatened to turn DOGE against its top dog. And then there was this: “When asked by a reporter if he would consider deporting Musk, he demurred: ‘We’ll have to take a look.'” (And Musk thought he had buyer’s remorse after he bought Twitter…) Don’t miss the bigger picture here: A president is musing about deporting America’s wealthiest corporate tycoon because of a personal feud. I’d say this crosses a red line, but red lines got deported a couple weeks ago. This is dangerous stuff. And it’s not about just idle threats or throwaway comments. “The Trump administration opened the door on Monday to formally examining Zohran Mamdani‘s US citizenship — part of a growing effort to target the immigration status of a wide range of individuals.” Semafor: Republicans test new red line: Denaturalization.
+ “Assembled on a remote airstrip with tents and trailers that are normally used after a natural disaster, the detention center has been nicknamed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ a moniker that has alarmed immigrant activists but appeals to the Republican president’s aggressive approach to deportations.” Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator‘ to flee Florida facility. (The sadism is so thick you should have to pass through one of those new p-rn age verification systems to view it.) “‘This is not a nice business,’ Trump said while leaving the White House. Then he joked that ‘we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison … Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,’ he said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. ‘And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.'” (In the least surprising news of the day, “it’s best to dash in one direction in the rare situation when an alligator gives chase, according to a website run by the University of Florida.”)
+ Don’t think all the threats and the masked enforcers and the alligator-surrounded detention centers don’t impact you. As Chandran Kukathas explains in the NYT (Gift Article), Trump’s Deportation Program Is About Control. Even if You Are a U.S. Citizen. “Immigration control will transform America. The more vigorously it is pursued, the more it will turn us into people who do not care about the liberty of others. Worse still, it may turn us into people who do not care about our own.”
+ And don’t think the especially draconian crackdowns in California will be compartmentalized. What happens in California doesn’t stay in California. It extends all the way to your fridge. Reuters: Immigration raids leave crops unharvested, California farms at risk.
