US President Donald Trump apparently ignored history in signing his legion of Executive Orders immediately after his swearing-in, in a bold attempt to prove that Washington holds the key to power all over the globe. However, one touchy issue borders on the expulsion of illegal immigrants. Perhaps the words of W. Tapley Bernet, Jnr., a former United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, need to be sent to Trump who is trying in every way to define who should live in the country.

“The United States represents an act of will, it is not a homogenous ethnic nation, it is not the heir to some historical empire or monarch, it is not a unified religious community, it is not a simple linguistic group, it does not have a particular cultural tradition reaching back through several millennia,” Bernet said. The original inhabitants of most of what is now known as the US were Indians.

Call them Mohican, Iroquois, Choctaw, Cherokee, Algonquin, Chippewa or Sioux. One of the 50 states that make up the union is known as Indiana, which means land of Indians. Trump’s father, Fred, was the son of a German immigrant and Scottish immigrant mother. This is the same man that has turned his second coming, to an unnecessary power show to cage smaller nations. American military planes are in the air deporting people who entered the country, the same way the president’s forebears did.

Although explorers like John Cabot, Juan Ponce de Leon, Hernando Soto and Giovanni da Verrazano had touched down in America earlier, the English were the first to establish a permanent settlement, on May 13, 1607. Led by Capt. John Smith, the 103 voyagers settled in Jamestown, in coastal Virginia. As the 17th Century progressed, more people arrived in America from Europe, in droves.

Some wanted religious freedom, many craved an opportunity to live their lives away from oppressive regimes, wars and enhanced economic opportunities. The Trumps had seen enough of petty princes. It is for the same reason that today’s immigrants arrive in the United States in droves. And Trump is acting like the real landowner who should dictate and decide citizenship.

While we agree that these deportations did not begin with Trump, there should be a human touch to the operation. During the Biden presidency about 1.5 million immigrants were deported…

He should know why 20 of his country’s 50 states bear Indian names. Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin, all have no meaning in any European language. Indians of Navajo, Shoshone, Kiowa Apache and Caddo background know who owns the land.

Trump is but a four-year tenant the White House. The American constitution guarantees rights to free speech and against unreasonable search. Immigrant Rights groups have dragged Trump to court. His use of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on target immigrants is divisive.

On January 26, 2024, two United States military jets were turned back by the Colombian government as they approached Bogota with immigrants. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on exports from the South American country, a strong ally of the US. This threat was enough to get the Latin American nation to back down and allow the planes to land. Farmers in the United States are already bracing up for tougher times.

Over two thirds of crop workers are immigrants. Forty two percent of these farm hands are not documented. Their departure will affect agriculture, in a country that lost about 142,000 farms in five years, between 2017 and 2022. Trump appears to be all bent on rewriting American history with tougher immigration laws. Already, many migrants are stuck because the smart phone app that enabled them to book appointments with United States officials has been shut down.

The American President may be playing saint and blaming the rise in criminality in some states, on the immigrants. He needs to be reminded that his own father, Fred, whose dad journeyed across the Atlantic, lied that he was Swedish. No one has challenged the name change from Drumpf to Dromb, Drumb, Tromp, Trumpff, Trumb, and Tromb and now to Trump.

After losing to Joe Biden in his second attempt at the penultimate presidential elections, Trump displayed inexplicable lawlessness; therefore, it is morally strange for the same person to deport immigrants on the ground that they had no documentation. While we agree that these deportations did not begin with Trump, there should be a human touch to the operation. During the Biden presidency about 1.5 million immigrants were deported.

Barack Obama did too but they accommodated refugees. Incidentally, recently a video surfaced on social media where the 40th US President, Ronald Reagan, who was also a Republican like Trump, embraced immigration while giving his farewell speech on completion of his second term on January 20, 1989.

The Statue of Liberty must be heartbroken. Founding fathers like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton will be turning in their graves. American is one, out of many. Patrick Henry said: “Give me liberty or give me death”. America offered freedom from oppression. That was in the past. Trump is oppressing immigrants (New Telegraph Editorial)