In the age of social media, it is possible to go viral for almost anything. Whether it be a funny comment, a cute relationship, or in many situations, a controversial action or opinion. In a time of such political controversy, saying an opinion could be the nail in the coffin or the beginning of a movement. I had been scrolling through my Instagram feed when I came across a post by one of my favorite accounts (@Undocumedia), it was screenshots of tweets made by a man named Jordan Dyrdahl-Roberts.
With a tweet that read “I put in my two weeks notice. I work at Montana Department of Labor. There were going to be ICE subpoenas for information that would end up being used to hunt down & deport undocumented workers.” In the rise of Trump’s presidency, the ICE raids have been at an all-time high in order to catch undocumented workers and send them down the road to deportation. The topic of ICE has been one split down the middle with emotions running high, and people on both sides.
Is it morally correct to separate families who only wish to chase the American Dream that this country speaks of? This was when I took it upon myself to dive deeper into this post, and I reached out to Mr. Dyrdahl-Roberts; I wanted to know more about what had led him to do what he did and what he expected to come from it. At the end of the day, this wasn’t just a tweet, it was a message.
What was the reason that led you to make the decision of putting in your two weeks? These are conversations you start slowly having about doing what is right. Assuming we don’t all die in an apocalypse, how would I be able to tell my kids about doing what's right if I had just said oh well and signed the papers and shuffled them off my desk? I had that choice, but it wasn’t an option for me.
Roberts followed his original tweet with one saying “It would have been my responsibility to prepare the information and hand them off to ICE. I refuse to aid in the breaking up of families. I refuse to just follow orders.”
In September of 2017, the number of deportations under Trump’s presidency had risen, and not only for those who had supposed criminal records. From the beginning of 2017 to September, ICE was responsible for arresting and detaining around 28,000 immigrants who did not have criminal records. These 28,000 who had presented no reason to be detained, were targeted even when ICE had claimed they were only seizing those with criminal backgrounds.
Where do you find yourself as of now after causing so much social media controversy? When I did this, I was a nobody. I had like a little over a 1,000 followers, I didn’t doubt the decision I made, and I still have no doubts that it was the right decision.
What is something you want people to learn from this? You need to act right now, and not wait for someone to do it, that’s what got us here. That’s the message I want to get out. We’re in a point in history where people really need to decide what side they want to be on, neutrality isn’t an option. Neutrality is synonymous with being okay with what’s happening, it’s like saying these families being torn apart is okay. It’s not.
Do you plan on continuing to advocate for immigrant families and against ICE? I just hope maybe that if I can talk to as many people as possible and that if you find this story inspiring, find it inspiring to where you do something. Don’t be the person who stands on the sidelines and says “I wish somebody would do something.” You are somebody and you can do something. So do it.
It has reached the time in history where it is no longer acceptable to stand around and watch as history books are written. It is time to be the ones who rewrite history and make it our own. The act of deporting people who contribute to this country as much as any other citizen is not only cruel, but it is unjust.
To sit around and simply turn our heads as DACA recipients who arrived in this country as mere children have their rights torn away, is inhumane. The United States of America has long claimed that it stands as the land of the free and as the land of opportunity. The time is now for us to stop simply claiming those titles, and to start acting on them. Immigrants come to this country for nothing but a better life for themselves and their families.
They pay taxes like everyone else, they work the jobs nobody wants, and despite what this country throws at them, they never back down. With the many accomplishments of Mexican immigrants done in the past year, their contribution to this country is extraordinary. Following the words of Jordan Dyrdahl-Roberts, do not wait for someone to make the change you speak of, stand up and be that change.
