Get ready for Trump’s mass deportations starting on ‘day one’

“I've seen the impact of deportation in my district. It is heartbreaking to see families torn apart for no good reason.”

—Jan Schakowsky

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

SINCE December 2024, United States communities with suspected large number of illegal immigrants have been buzzing with worries and fears there would be “mass deportations” to begin on President-elect Donald Trump’s “day one” in office.

Tom Homan, Mr. Trump’s incoming border czar, has repeatedly confirmed they would start in the state of Illinois. "Chicago's in trouble," warned Homan.

Mr. Trump has tapped Homan to run the biggest deportation operation the country has ever seen. The operation will begin in Chicago right after Mr. Trump is inaugurated for his new term on January 20, according to the bombastic incoming border czar.

Homan vowed agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be in Chicago when Mr. Trump takes office.

"January 21st, you're going to look for a lot of ICE agents in your city looking for criminals and gang members," Homan said. "Count on it. It will happen."  

 

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The President-elect has threatened communities by promising “mass deportations” of immigrants. One of the tools the Trump administration may use is an expansion of the “expedited removal” program, combined with raids in neighborhoods and workplaces, warned the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).

“Using expedited removal, an immigration officer may quickly deport individuals without due process if the government establishes that they entered the United States without immigration documents and have been in the country for less than two years. People deported under expedited removal may be detained and deported without appearing before an immigration judge,” NIJC revealed.

Other immigrants – regardless of how long they have been in the United States – may also experience immigration enforcement and removal.

Anyone without secure immigration status may be subject to enforcement efforts. People who were ordered deported in the past and people who have had contact with the criminal legal system are at particular risk, warned the NIJC.

 

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To protect themselves and their loved ones, NIJC suggested 5 things to immigrants:

1. Seek A Legal Consultation. With private attorneys: Call the American Immigration Lawyers Association at 1-800-954-0254 for a referral.

With nonprofit organizations that employ U.S. licensed attorneys or Department of Justice accredited representatives: A list of these organizations can be found at Immigration Advocates Network or Illinois Access to Justice.

2. Create A Safety Plan. Identify your emergency contacts and memorize their phone numbers.

Provide your child’s school or day care with an emergency contact to pick up your child. 

Provide authorization in writing for your emergency contact to make medical and legal decisions for your child.

Tell your loved ones that if you are detained by ICE, they can try to use ICE’s online detainee locator to find you: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/search

Read more about guardianship and power of attorney considerations for immigrants in Illinois and Indiana.

3. Collect Your Documents In A Safe Place. Keep your identity information and financial information in a safe location.

 

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Gather documents showing the length of time you have been in the United States; the most recent two years are most important. This can include U.S. income tax returns, utility bills, leases, school records, medical records, bank records, or other documents. 

Make sure your emergency contact can access all of these documents.

Read and practice NIJC’s guidance on what to do if you encounter ICE in your community.

4. Avoid Immigration Fraud. Only seek legal advice from an attorney or an accredited representative at a Department of Justice-recognized nonprofit organization.

Lawyers must have a license from a U.S. state to practice law. Ask to see their law license. Law licenses from other countries do not authorize the practice of law in the United States. 

Accredited representatives must be accredited and work for a nonprofit agency recognized by the Department of Justice. Ask to see their accreditation documents.

Never sign an application with false information. Never sign a blank form. Ask for copies of everything you sign. If the advice sounds too good to be true, get a second opinion before filing an immigration application.

Read NIJC’s full guidance on how to avoid immigration fraud.

5. Be Alert For Digital Scams. Be skeptical of social media posts promising new or quick immigration relief. The U.S. government (including Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and State Department) will never contact you via WhatsApp or social media.  

 

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With limited exceptions, such as people who are released from detention and told they must check in with ICE via telephone, the U.S. government generally does not contact individuals by phone.

If you receive an unexpected message or phone call from someone who claims they are an immigration officer or other government official, do not respond or share personal information. Do not wire or transfer money to pay a “processing fee” or for any other reason. 

If in doubt, consult an attorney or accredited representative before taking any action.

Avoid sharing unverified information on social media.

Meanwhile, celebrated immigration lawyer Michael Gurfinkel, who has helped a lot of Filipinos with immigration problems, has warned that “the incoming Trump administration is going to be very aggressive on immigration enforcement, as that was one of the main issues they ran on and why people voted for Trump.”

According to Gurkinfel, “US voters were tired of the open border, and Trump promised tough action.”

“In my opinion,” Gurfinkel wrote, “Homan is not saying he will actually deport US citizen family members along with the illegal aliens. (US citizens cannot be deported.) Instead, what he is saying is that if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deports an illegal alien and their US-born children or spouse are traumatized over being separated, then let the children and spouse accompany the deported alien back to their home country. In other words, it would be the US citizen family member’s choice to stay or go.”

The lawyer stressed that “Homan also compared this family separation to what exists in regular criminal cases, where if a family member is charged with a crime and goes to jail, then they are obviously separated from their other family members. We do that all the time: send convicted criminals to jail, and we don’t let them go free just because they have family members.”

Gurfinkel suggested:  “If you have immigration issues and are worried about being included in the mass deportations, I would strongly recommend you consult with an attorney who can evaluate your immigration situation and could perhaps find avenues for you to legalize your status, or you could already line up an attorney ‘just in case’ you get a knock on the door.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

How we upset nature’s balance

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

—Albert Einstein

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

FRANCIS Bacon once exhorted us to obey our nature if we wish to command it.

By obeying, it doesn’t mean we will not enjoy from its wealth.

By commanding, it doesn’t mean we will destroy it.

The laws of nature definitely are in consonance with our existence, thus there is no need to exploit and ravage nature for our whims and caprices.

There is no need to rape the environment for our own irrational selfishness and greed.

The following are some of the ways in which man has upset nature’s balance and reduced our supplies of natural wealth:

1. Destruction of vast forest areas. Enormous quantities of lumber were taken from our forests for buildings, furniture, fuel, and other useful purposes.

But because of the apparent abundance of forests, lumbering practices were very wasteful. Little heed was given to the replanting of trees to keep our forests producing for the future.

2. Destruction of wild life. When forests are cut away, the homes of countless animals are destroyed, and these animals die.

The balance of nature has been upset at a vital point, and entire species may vanish as a result.

Added to this is the effect of needless trapping and shooting of animals for sport.

Examples of species made extinct or nearly extinct by man most particularly in America are: American bison (buffalo), antelope, passenger pigeon.

 

FARM

 

3. Reckless use of farm lands. Nature’s orderly processes keep soils permanently fertile.

But when man’s sole interest is to extract the maximum crop from his farm each year, regardless of the consequences, the soil soon loses its essential minerals and cannot support plant life at all. The soil, moreover, loosened and laid bare by the planting and harvesting of a single crop, and the wind and the rain easily carry it away.

4. Overgrazing of pasture lands. Sheep- and cattle-raisers, through lack of planning and foresight, have pastured their animals on the same land year after year.

Here, too, the result has been to lay bare the soil, so that it falls victim to erosion.

5. Pollution of streams. The dumping of sewage and industrial wastes into streams and rivers makes these waters unhealthy for water life.

The result is the destruction of large numbers of fish, oysters, and other valuable organisms.

December ‘arrest’ that fizzles out

“I've never been to jail. I've never been arrested. I've never been locked up.”

—Samuel L. Jackson

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

LAWYERS Kristina Conti and Neri Colmenares owe the Filipino people—or at least those who regularly followed the political bickering in the Philippines—an explanation if not apology why 2024 is gone and former President Rodrigo Duterte wasn’t yet ordered arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Conti, who is reportedly ICC’s representative in the Philippines, and Colmenares, a former party-list representative, were among those who regularly announced on national TV and during their interviews in the social media and the political vlogs that “the ICC is coming in December (2024) and former President (Rodrigo) Duterte will be the first Asian to be arrested and tried in the international criminal court for crime against humanity.”

Filipinos who believed Conti and Colmenares think they have been taken for a ride because it is now 2025 and the hard-hitting former president, now a candidate anew for mayor in Davao City, is still freely hobnobbing with his constituents in Mindanao and is probably having the last laugh.

Those itching to see Duterte, et al shake in their boots while watching and listening to members of the arresting team read their Miranda rights were as excited and as certain the ICC’s arrival was a sure event in December 2024.

 

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The ICC might still come based on all the bold predications and loud pronouncement made these past months by advocates of human rights and those pushing for Duterte, et al’s incarceration for their brutal roles in the much-abhorred extrajudicial killings of drug suspects during the past administration.

In fact, no one can tell if they are already in the Philippines and are only waiting for the right time and right moment.

The ICC is probably bidding for time since it is aware those involved in the high-level criminal case aren’t peanuts; Mr. Duterte remains to be a popular figure in the Philippines with millions of followers even if he is no longer in power.

Many of them can derail the “impending” arrest in a form of a mini “people power” or a mob that will stymie the arrest in one way or the other if it becomes highly publicized and the ICC will telegraph its punches.

All indications nonetheless have pointed to the “imminent” arrest of the ex-president and his former subalterns led by Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and the retired police generals.

But, at least, the likes of Conti and Colmenares should not have prejudged the itinerary or schedule of Duterte, et al’s date with infamy when they will be finally “escorted” out of the country by the International Police or Interpol.

Mag hintay at huwag kasi masayadong madadal and excited!  

 

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INJURIES FROM FALLING TVs are on the rise among children age nine and under--sometimes because TVs are pulled or pushed by children or tipped over when a child is climbing. THEORY: In recent years, heavier and larger, tip-prone TVs have increased in popularity. SELF DEFENSE: Strap a TV to a table stand or mount it to a wall.

GARDENERS ARE AT RISK FOR TETANUS. The bacteria that causes tetanus, also called lockjaw, is commonly found in dirt and on tools. Gardeners account for more than 1/3 of the tetanus cases reported in the U.S. each year. SELF-DEFENSE: Get a booster shot every 10 years. Tetanus is rare, but it can be fatal.

LET’S BAG THE BAGS. Plastic bags start as petrochemicals, which are transformed into polymers and are, in turn, heated, shaped, cooled, flattened, sealed, punched, and printed on, all of which require energy. But still only .6 percent of plastic bags are recycled, with the USA alone throwing away 100 billion bags a year. Make a difference by recycling.

Also, let's be a paper doll by always recycling paper. Each time paper is recycled, the individual cellulose fibers become shorter. On average, a fiber can be recycled seven times before it is too short to combine with other fibers.

(PG 13) SEXUAL-HEALTH CHECKLIST. 1. Lift weight 3x a week. Not only will we gain muscle, but sexual satisfaction will follow as well. 2. Open our mind. Increasingly, women are doing just that in their sex practices. Don't let her leave us behind. 3. Presence, transcendence, and authenticity trump lust in the good-sex game. 4. Expand our social networks. 5. Emotional connection-even with casual partners-means better sex.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

Hospital refers Marlon to spine specialist

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NORTHWELL Health has referred Filipino alleged assault victim Marlon Doronila to a spine specialist.

“This is what I need,” beamed Doronila, who will turn 68 in March this year. “In Bellevue and Elmhurst (hospitals), they gave me only pain killers.”

Bellevue, located in Manhattan, and Elmhurst, located in Queens, are members of NYC Health+Hospitals, New York’s largest public health and hospital system.

DORONILA shows his “slanted” head

“They (Northwell Health) have the compassion because they understood that I need to straighten my head up and my neck has to be checked thoroughly,” explained Doronila, who credited his friend, Ismael Candari, for referring him to Northwell Health.

Doronila, who studied in De La Salle University in Manila, has been complaining of pain on his neck, shoulder, and part of his back. He walks with a head slanted downward since December 2024.

“I can’t see people and vehicles when I walk and cross in the street because my head is sloping down and I see only the pavement,” complained Doronila, who is single and resides in a four-story apartment in Elmhurst, Queens.

At past 2 o’clock in the afternoon on December 31, 2024, social worker Sharon Carvy visited Doronila in his apartment where he narrated what happened to him when he was allegedly assaulted inside the apartment.

 

MEDICAL RECORDS

 

Doronila said Carvy was able to access his medical records after he went to Elmhurst on December 17 and Bellevue on December 24 complaining “I have been assaulted verbally and physically for three years now” allegedly by a younger male assailant.

Carvy exhorted him to contact the Adult Protective Services (APS), which provides services for physically and/or mentally impaired adults.

Dr. Megha George and Dr. Jacob Ziff treated him at Elmhurst, while at Bellevue he was checked by Dr. William Chiang and Dr. Jairo Triana.

At Elmhurst, Doronila underwent the following imaging tests: CT cervical spine without contrast, CT head without contrast, CT maxillofacial without contrast, DX chest AP only.

Elmhurst doctors gave Doronila the following medications: acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Motrin), lidocaine 5 percent (Lidoderm), and methocarbamol (Robaxin).

Bellevue doctors gave him acetaminophen (Tylenol), amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin), azithromycin (Zithromax), and cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), and lidocaine.

Doronila has been asked to see the doctors on separate schedules this year for evaluation.