The loss of humanity for one is a loss for many. The loss of humanity for many is a loss for all.

They are given impersonal names with no evidence or benefit of the doubt: criminals, illegals, terrorists, animals, and killers. To those who project these names upon others is to reduce their personhood and story to something less than human. Rather than knowing people by their given name, providing them an opportunity to tell their story, and permitting them a fair trial to defend their case, we establish a society of unequals. It’s the antithesis of American values, democracy, and the liberty our ancestors once fought to uphold.

The government’s campaign of unannounced arrests, lack of formal charges, denied communications to family, friends, or council, and swift relocation or deportation to a foreign prison without a trial are clear and undeniable violations of an individual’s human rights. Columbia University students such as Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi, both Palestinians legally residing and studying in the United States, have been detained without cause. Kilmar Ábrego García from El Salvador, was also wrongly deported to an El Salvadorian mega-prison the United States is paying for, following an unwarranted arrest on claims he was a gang member and terrorist without evidence of having committed any crime. Despite the Supreme Court’s statement to facilitate his return, no such efforts are being made.

The loss of humanity for one is a loss for many. The loss of humanity for many is a loss for all.

While these high-profile cases are amplified in the national media, there are thousands more just like them. Their stories are going untold, their names and faces unknown to the rest of us except among their friends and family. Their hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow—not dissimilar to our own—have been snatched away. They are caught in a system that has been overwhelmed and unprepared for the acceleration of refugees, asylum seekers, and peaceful migrants spanning more than three decades. Reform is necessary, but authoritarian force is unjustified.

American opinions on immigration have always been mixed. Anxiety and prejudice are common among nationals toward high rates of migration into a community. Until now, there had not been a broad adoption of words such as “criminals” and “terrorists” to describe large groups of migrants who seem to fit a particular profile—namely brown or black from a Latin, Caribbean, or Middle Eastern region. By labeling an individual a “terrorist” without just cause or proof, the same can be applied to others. When groups are defined, there’s no end to who else can be unjustly targeted and what means of force will be used.

It’s time for the consciousness of a new generation to be awakened.

The protection of human rights for all persons—regardless of where they are from or presently reside—is our collective responsibility. It’s our job as people of hope and change to illuminate where injustices exist and to promote holistic, compassionate, and equitable outcomes for all. The generations that have preceded us fought bloody and devastating wars, marched in streets, bravely stood up to tyranny, and in the end, collaborated on codifying the principles that promote freedom, justice, and peace for all persons. Ratified in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the international standard for how we as global citizens should hold ourselves accountable. It was forged in response to the “disregard and contempt for human rights [resulting] in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind.”[1]

It’s time for the consciousness of a new generation to be awakened. It’s time to stand for the freedom and equality of all persons without distinction. It’s time to stand for the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. It’s time to stand for the freedom of opinion and expression. It’s time to stand for the right to a private life without interference. It’s time to stand for the right to fair, impartial trials and due process for all persons. It’s time to stand against the “arbitrary arrest, detention or exile”[2] of individuals like Mahmoud Khalil, Mohsen Mahdawi, Kilmar Ábrego García, and thousands of others whose rights may have also been violated.

It’s not too late for our social consciousness to reawaken to nonviolent outrage. It’s not too late for hope and change when we stand and act together.

---

[1] Preamble, Universal Declaration of Human Rights. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights 

[2] Article 9, Universal Declaration of Human Rights.