The harrowing footage recently captured in North Austin, near Parkfield Drive and Rutland Drive, is difficult to watch, but it is mandatory viewing for anyone who cares about human dignity. Thanks to the raw documentation originally credited to Limon Verde, we are forced to witness a father being forcefully separated from his three-year-old daughter by ICE agents. Listening to a terrified child desperately cry out “Papi!” as her father is ordered to leave her behind is a nightmare no family should ever endure.
But this incident is not an anomaly; it is a feature of a deeply entrenched, systemic sickness.
To understand the brutality of this moment, we have to look at the history of this land. Long before these borders were violently drawn and policed, Indigenous Americans called this continent home. The economic foundation of this nation was built on the stolen labor and broken families of enslaved Africans. Furthermore, the deep roots of Hispanic communities are woven inextricably into the very soil and history of this country.
Decades ago, the Chicano movement was sparked by the exact same brand of virulent racism that seeks to criminalize and erase brown and Black bodies today. Activists organized and fought back against a system that treated their mere existence as a threat, demanding civil rights and basic human respect.
Tragically, what we are witnessing today on the streets of Texas is more of the same. The uniforms might be updated and the political justifications newly stamped, but the core objective remains unchanged. This is 21st century colonialism. It is a new shroud draped over the same old white nationalist callings: a coordinated effort to displace, separate, and terrorize communities of color.
As long as we allow families to be torn apart in our own neighborhoods, the legacy of this nation’s darkest history remains alive and well. We must call this what it is, and we must stand against it just as fiercely as those who fought for justice before us.
