Four weeks ago, after working for almost 15 years in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, my mom felt she had no choice but to resign from her job. New political leadership reassigned my mom’s boss, who used to lead the entire Disability Rights Section, and other personnel in the Disability Rights Section to do paperwork on internal employment discrimination complaints, which is usually the job of a trial attorney.
Within a couple days, employees were given a choice to voluntarily leave the Disability Rights Section and receive minimal compensation or stay and work to uphold the Trump Administration’s agenda for the Section, which is mainly to use the Disability Rights Section to target transgender people. Most chose the former. Now, approximately 70 percent of lawyers in the Civil Rights Division have left.
Purging the government of qualified, dedicated people is not promoting government efficiency; forcing qualified employees out of their jobs is an attack on democratic institutions and a move toward authoritarianism. If you are outraged by this administration, do something about it: help organizations that align with your political beliefs, organize and attend protests, and boycott companies that support Trump.
In Trump’s first 100 days in office, he signed 142 executive orders, had over 200 lawsuits filed against his administration, pardoned hundreds of Jan. 6 insurrectionists and laid off tens of thousands of federal employees.
Trump has authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport U.S. citizens and legal residents with no due process. ICE has deported three young children who are U.S. citizens to Honduras. ICE has also deported protesters who support Palestine, like Mahmoud Khalil, a U.S. green card holder. These raids are not only happening in some distant place; raids have also occurred at locations near GDS like Millies and Chef Geoff’s, which terrifies me and should terrify us all. I don’t want to see the GDS community passively accept these unlawful and inhumane ICE raids.
As a student, I have been worried about Trump’s actions regarding academic institutions. The Trump Administration has threatened colleges and universities due to their speech policies, curricula and admissions processes; the Trump Administration is threatening to cut federal funds from academic institutions, such as Columbia and Harvard universities, as a way to coerce them into making changes.
“It definitely scares me, because I see an administration trying to control education, which I think is such a core ideal of our democracy,” junior Anjali Martin-Shanker said. “I have been looking at colleges abroad, and I think my search for colleges abroad has definitely stayed top of mind because I think it’s important to get a new perspective,” she said.
I am scared by the Trump Administration’s undermining of free speech and academic freedom on college campuses. He is attacking institutions and individuals for expressing views his administration disagrees with, diminishing free discourse. I fear universities will become less inclusive and less intellectual spaces where certain perspectives are no longer permitted.
One way to fight back against the administration is to support organizations whose lawyers challenge the legality of the government’s actions by filing lawsuits. You can donate money or volunteer to support the organization. There are many organizations fighting against the presidential administration. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed hundreds of lawsuits against the administration and has successfully challenged cases on immigration, free speech and transgender rights.
Another way to fight back against the government is through protest. Participating in protests is a great way to get politically active. Protesting demonstrates power and shows leaders how many people care about an issue. Media coverage of protests helps the protesters’ message reach a larger audience. Both Republican and Democratic leaders care about reelection and want to address the concerns of voters.
My last strategy to resist the presidential administration is to boycott companies that support Trump. Boycotts will put pressure on companies to be responsive to their customers and to not support the demands of the Trump Administration. Two obvious companies not to invest in are Tesla and X, both of which Elon Musk owns. Musk donated $290 million to the Trump campaign, and Trump soon after appointed him to be the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk bought his way into controlling parts of the government; supporters of democracy should not support him or his companies.
Whether or not you are directly impacted by the Trump Administration’s recent actions, everyone has a stake in a constitutional democracy. If we, GDS students, care about the rule of law, the health of our democratic institutions or simply the people in our community, then now is the time to organize, speak out and take action.