The latest news out of Boston is that people are starting to really push back against ICE, trying to protect their neighbours at personal cost. ICE agents also keep operating without identifying themselves, without warrants, and they have started detaining and even deporting US citizens. In the US, where there are more guns than there are people. This is a powderkeg, waiting to blow.
And I have no confidence that their government is going to try to deescalate things. If we allow ourselves to dabble into conspiracy thinking and ascribe to malice what can just as well be ascribed to stupidity, we can just as well say there is a deliberate strategy by the US government to provoke violence. Trump signed that Executive Order to allow the use of military and national security assets to be used for policing. The Project 2025 guy has famously said that «the revolution will be bloodless “if the left allows it to be.”». And with Trump fucking up their economy, he will need to refocus to some internal enemy, to also clamp down on the inevitable economic discontent.
Aaaand to top it all up, historically, things heat up as temperatures heat up. It’s coming, folks. Am I paranoid here? I don’t think I am.
How is this going to impact us? Are we going to have a surge of political asylum claimants and/or refugees from the States? The first ones have already started trickling in.
And what the hell are we doing to prepare for this? In the short term, this is going to put stress on social services, housing, employment, healthcare, etc. In the medium term, we could be seeing anti-refugee backlash (e.g., an influx of a bunch of angloamericans in QC might re-ignite language tensions) and political tension with the US demanding deportations of asylum claimant dissidents (some of whom might have violent charges against them, e.g., for fighting back against ICE).
I feel like the guy from the meme a bit. But, guys! Guys! WTF.
The fascist plan is waiting for the first armed conflict and then going into martial law. Unfortunately they won’t leave without violence so it’s almost inevitable at this point.
I keep seeing this martial law BS being parrotted by Americans as an excuse for their inaction. But if they’re already submitting to fascism due to fear of martial law, isn’t that kind of the same as being under martial law?
Honestly it’s about time people organised enough to resist. Violence is the only way a dictator will be deposed. History has proven it well. To have a nation so tied to gun ownership and the talk and laws associated with it not immediately choosing to pick up arms is baffling.
To have a nation so tied to gun ownership and the talk and laws associated with it not immediately choosing to pick up arms is baffling.
The most vociferous gun rights “people” are in support of the fascism.
Those who are not have the same access to guns and extremely obvious reasons to buy them en masse for months now if not years. I am Canadian. I own guns as does everyone I know. Yet it’s complicated to get a gun here. Takes time and registration. I’ve been in america and been offered guns in the street. Let’s be realistic. If you all wanted to fight you would be doing so.
Violence is the only way a dictator will be deposed. History has proven it well.
Is that true? What about South Korea and Taiwan?
I agree about it being baffling to see so many ‘freedom loving Americans’ so blind to the nature of the current administration.
South Korea
Wasn’t there a massive movement of military force that got called off with minutes to spare?
Minor nitpick.
Are we going to have a surge of political asylum claimants and/or refugees from the States? The first ones have already started trickling in.
No, from the linked article, those three are not coming in as refugees. As professors hired by a university based in Canada, they’re at least coming in as skilled workers with the appropriate work permits.
These are the first who are trying to come under political asylum, https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/12/donald-trump-transphobia-us-family-seeking-asylum/
That said, back when folks were worried about the Insurrection Act and martial law being declared on April 20, aletheisthenes wrote ( here https://medium.com/@/part-4-a-shopping-list-for-the-unthinkable-b9c5d65c9a83 ) that folks should consider heading to Canada and Mexico, or even the Carribbean, as an option,
I’d say you have days to plan a sudden vacation in Mexico or Canada
You spend a few days or weeks in Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean
If there is a major event that changes the world. Run. Go. Fast. Get to the border and across it fast, before it closes. If you can.Moving on to the main point,
And what the hell are we doing to prepare for this?
Sadly, this.
Minister says Canada ‘won’t be cruel,’ but will enforce border agreements
“People that are coming here, if they come in an irregular fashion, that is not the right way to do so and they will be turned away subject to the Safe Third Country agreement we have with the U.S.”
In December, the federal government announced plans to spend $1.3 billion to improve security at the borderFrom https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-canada-u-s-border-1.7438813
I counted them as refugees because of their stated intent. They are privileged enough that they can use non-humanitarian avenues to do it. First class vs economy…
The story of the Bergs is heartbreaking. I wonder what happened to them.
The “Safe Third Country” agreement will come under stress, I think, when the shit hits the fan.
Hi! I can only speak for myself but I think there’s probably more like myself than you’d expect. I live in Minnesota. This is my home. I was born here, grew up here, and I intend to stay here. If it comes to it I’m ready to defend myself and my community, but I won’t be driven from my home by tyrants and fascists.
I expect there are a lot of you. Stay safe.
I counted them as refugees because of their stated intent. They are privileged enough that they can use non-humanitarian avenues to do it. First class vs economy…
Fair.
But let’s keep in mind that the non-humanitarian avenues can be restricted. See this from last year, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68621013 when Canada had announced that they would limit the number of temporary work permits granted. It seems like this idea was revived again this year, https://theworldbridge.ca/canada-introduces-first-ever-cap-on-temporary-residents/
From the later link there are 2.5 million temporary residents in Canada, from all over the entire world. Meanwhile, from https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-voters-have-a-party-affiliation/ there are over 45 million folks registered to the Democratic party in the US. It’s easy to see how the spots to move to Canada (legally) fill up pretty quick in this situation if things get bad enough.
So I think we’re on the same page here. Those early birds with enough privilege can use alternate pathways to come to Canada, but even latecomers with the same level of privilege may find a more difficult situation to contend with.
The story of the Bergs is heartbreaking. I wonder what happened to them.
As far as I can tell they’re still in Canada, still in limbo. The process of claiming asylum is a slow one, and they’ve only been here a couple of months. So … they haven’t been approved yet, but neither have they been told to pack their bags and leave.
The “Safe Third Country” agreement will come under stress, I think, when the shit hits the fan.
Agreed. Likely it’s time has come and gone.
But if one really thinks about it, one can see that the STCA was meant to be for Canada’s benefit originally, as there was almost nothing going the other way pre-drumpf (and post-drumpf it’s probably zero). So even historically speaking, it was always about keeping refugees in the USA out of Canada…
It is crazy what kind of world we are living in, I do not like this time line but at least we have that beautiful line drawn on the map!
