Brunch Amidst Fear

I had Sunday brunch with Wire owner Carl, publicist Thomas Barker, and his friend Julio. Conversation immediately gravitated toward the immigrant raids all week and Carl likened it to the Gestapo pounding on doors and dragging people away. The most incredulous thing to me was the way The Miami Herald danced to the tune of the federal government all week down-playing the actions and toying with words. At once denying there were raids, The Herald said in the very same article that a reporter sent to Krome Detention Center (the immigrant gulag here) did see 80 “new arrivals” in one afternoon. I know The Herald doesn’t write at more than a third grade level, but even third graders have some grasp of word play like this. The government, too, announced that there were no “sweeps” except those involving criminals; anyone without 100% documentation, by the way, is a “criminal” so word play continued.

So what exists here is a general scare to go into public even if you have work authorization (a “green” card) because by law you can be held for questioning too. Add to this the people who have gone the road of documentation but have not reached the 100% mark; no way did they want to go out and risk getting caught in a sweep. In a sweep the targeted outlaw is picked up, but so is every other non-documented person in reach. That’s the way they intimidate the population and the result was a downturn in business of 50%. Malls were empty and the normally clogged Biscayne Blvd. could have been used for drag racing. A mood of depression and oppression descended upon this vibrant city.

Some economist should calculate the drop in the local GNP for the last week and the business owners take that to their Republican lackeys. And the government of the Bushes should stop the word play. Border Patrol cars are still stationed all around Miami and there is no hiding that. Third graders can see, too.