In this modern era of  “the war on crime,” we have seen the National Guard dispatched in cities like Los Angeles and Washington. If Trump continues down this path of authoritarian occupation, we will soon have no means of stopping him.

The U.S. State Department revoked 6,000 student visas as of August. This is a direct attack on immigration, education, and free speech. Students should feel safe on their campuses and have the freedom to seek higher education in this country. 

The National Guard has been deployed to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in raids throughout Arkansas and other parts of the country. One of Trump’s most recent moves was placing soldiers in the city of Portland, Ore. — a decision deemed unlawful by U.S. district courts.

The National Guard occupying spaces like the New York City transit system will take its immediate toll on the mental and physical well-being of students. Even attempting to avoid politics cannot prevent their presence in your neighborhood. 

The National Guard is likely to bring more random searches and illegal detainments, slowing transit more than what we already tolerate. It will perpetuate a culture of hate speech that already marginalizes significant portions of our population. Instead of unifying us, it will create a society that tolerates bigotry.

On Sept. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision allowing ICE to use racial profiling when investigating an individual’s citizenship status based on factors such as the language you are speaking, the color of your skin, and how much money you are perceived to be making at your job — for example, if you appear to be a minimum wage worker.

You can be pulled off a train or stopped while walking to your dorm and forced to prove your citizenship status simply based on how you look. This is exponentially dangerous for minority and immigrant students studying on F-1 visas who are especially susceptible to arrest and possible deportation. 

Indeed, not all people are created equal in Trump’s America. 

Ranjani Srinivasan, a doctoral candidate from Columbia University, was forced to flee the United States earlier this year. ICE and the Department of State targeted her based on unsubstantiated claims that she was involved in activities supporting Hamas. 

According to the Columbia Daily Spectator, Srinivasan had her F-1 visa revoked. After being faced with a decision to await trial while possibly spending time in detention, she decided to self-deport. 

In a statement, Srinivasan said Columbia de-enrolled her and was cooperating with ICE. “What has happened to me can happen to you,” she said.

If universities are not willing to protect their students, where do their priorities lie? Do they serve the student body by creating an environment where all feel welcome and free to express their ideas? Or do they please the white nationalist ideas our federal government continues to perpetuate?

ICE can make these claims about anyone who does not want to submit themselves to the narrative they are attempting to portray. And now they can use students’ social media to gather “evidence” against them.

This is not only a conversation about free speech but also one closely tied to racism and white nationalism seeping into our government. 

This is an issue that will not only impact undocumented people. U.S. citizens experiencing poverty and lacking the means to procure identification papers will also be affected, disproportionately impacting communities of color.

Not to mention the National Guard’s reputation for dealing with protestors, like at the Los Angeles protests against mass deportations earlier this year, where 4,100 National Guard and 700 active Marines were dispatched, escalating an already volatile situation and leading to violent interactions, including the use of tear gas and less-lethal weapons against people practicing their First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. 

Students have already been under attack and had their visas revoked. With the National Guard here to assist ICE in their racist, white-nationalist agendas, there is no way to calculate the impact it will have on the daily lives of New York City students and residents alike. 

Students from across the world add to the culture and vibrancy of our lives, on campus and off. They make this country a stage for some of the greatest minds internationally. 

Silence is a privilege many Americans are abusing, watching from the sidelines while the tyrannical regime we call the U.S. government commands its assets to interfere in the daily lives of hardworking, nonviolent people in this country. 

We must remain vigilant and make our voices heard. We can do this by registering to vote and supporting policies and politicians who want what’s best for this city. We can also organize and send a message that we stand with our international students. We must join hands with one another and do our part to help create a society that allows a person of any race, nation, or creed the opportunity to become educated in the United States. 

There is power in education, and the more we allow these grievances to continue at the hands of Donald Trump, the more rights will be taken from us. The government isn’t in the business of giving us more human rights. Get out to the streets! And keep our international friends and loved ones in mind when you vote.