FIRST DO NO HARM
What is being asked of us is not that we pay attention to everything, but that we find the one thing that feels most urgent.
And so I asked myself: In the chaos of this moment, what could cause irreparable harm? Who is most vulnerable?
I’m not sure how much these questions limit the fallout. So many things I cherish are under direct attack and may not recover.
But after visiting Ajo, Arizona last October, I continue to be haunted by the fact that at least 4,329 migrants have died while trying to cross the Sonoran desert since 1981.
I am also haunted by the fact that the US government forcibly separated more than 4,600 children from their parents between 2017 and 2021, and as many as 1,360 children have still not been reunited with their parents.
Under this “Zero Tolerance” policy, the minor federal criminal charge of “improper entry” was deployed to force families apart. A centerpiece of this policy was the crime of enforced disappearance, in which government officials refused to disclose the whereabouts of a disappeared person. Enforced disappearance is considered a form of torture and an instrument of terror that affects society as a whole.
Even a single instance of enforced disappearance or torture is a crime under international law, and the US government could have been charged with at least 4,600 counts.
The promise to end family separation under the Biden administration was not fully realized for a number of reasons, including unilateral action by states and agencies.
What is not in question is that the cruel and inhumane immigration policies under the first Trump administration were just a dress rehearsal. Mass deportations of millions have been threatened, are underway, and will require the diversion of millions of dollars (made possible, in part, by the firing of civil servants without due process), intrusive surveillance on a scale never before seen (made possible by the seizure of private information and invasion of spaces like churches and schools), and worldwide disruption of trade and alliances (via tariffs and extortion).
Ultimately, this phase of the rollout will require, at the very least, the acquiescence of government officials and the consent, coerced or not, of the governed.
I do not consent.
When I graduated from nursing school, I pledged to first do no harm. Brilliant in its simplicity and economy of phrasing, this pledge requires me to not allow considerations of religion, nationality, race, or social standing to affect my duty to the patient.
The obvious and egregious harm inflicted by the current immigration policy necessitates immediate and direct action by people willing to engage with their preconceptions, blind spots, ignorance, learned helplessness, and apathy to prevent irreparable harm.
What issue feels most urgent to you?