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A few days ago, I stood near the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, reflecting on her courage, her unwavering solidarity with the enslaved, and the countless times she risked her life — returning again and again, even with bounty hunters on her heels.
Today, I woke up in New Bedford — a city that once rang church bells to warn of slave catchers and bounty hunters. A city that offered sanctuary to those fleeing the horrors of Southern plantations. A city that was once a stronghold of the Underground Railroad.
But this morning, I didn’t hear any bells.
Instead, I heard news that modern-day bounty hunters — ICE agents — raided our community before dawn, hunting down two human beings born in Guatemala. Two men who likely came here seeking refuge — fleeing the poverty, violence, and political instability created by generations of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, and destructive U.S. foreign policy that have robbed their homelands of peace, prosperity, and sovereignty.
These men are fathers, brothers, workers, neighbors. And yet, they were treated like fugitives. Their homes were invaded. Their dignity stripped. Their children left behind in fear, confusion, and pain — traumatized by weapons of war pointed at their heads, doors battered open, and loved ones snatched away. Crying, not knowing if their fathers are ever coming back.
This is not law enforcement.
This is psychological warfare.
This is spiritual violence.
Let us be clear:
There is no such thing as an illegal human being on stolen land.
You cannot trespass on land taken through genocide. You cannot be “undocumented” on a continent soaked in the blood of Indigenous and African peoples, and built on the backs of enslaved Natives, Africans, and immigrants.
They did not cross the border — the borders crossed us.
ICE is not here to protect us. ICE is here to uphold systems of oppression. These raids are acts of terror — designed to spread fear, separate families, and silence the dreams of people who deserve sanctuary, not shackles.
The same city that once sheltered Frederick Douglass is now far too silent as our immigrant neighbors are dragged from their homes, torn from their children, families, and friends.
The same churches that once stood against slavery now stand far too silent.
Where are the bells now?
Where is the sanctuary now?
We must be clear:
If Harriet Tubman were alive today, she would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
She would be resisting. She would be organizing. She would be protecting the people.
If Frederick Douglass were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
If Mary Barros were alive today, she would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
She would be resisting. She would be organizing. She would be protecting the people.
If Parky Grace were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
If Bill Carmo were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
If Gerald Rebeiro were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
If Jose A. Soler were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
If Thomas Ranuga were alive today, he would not be watching silently from the sidelines.
He would be resisting. He would be organizing. He would be protecting the people.
And to the activists, organizers, and truth-tellers who documented and warned our community about this most recent raid — thank you.
You are the ones ringing the bells.
You are the ones honoring our ancestors through your action.
You are the real heroes of our community — doing the work that makes Harriet, Frederick, and all our elders proud.
Salute. We see you. We appreciate you.
We owe you a deep debt of gratitude for restoring faith in the possibilities — if only folks wake up and realize:
“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” — June Jordan, “Poem for South African Women” (1980)
Erik Andrade is a poet, a spoken-word artist and a community activist from New Bedford.
I remember as a kid seeing photographs of bodies swinging on the gallows after the Nuremberg trials of all those whose excuse for their atrocities was that they were just following orders.
History has a way of catching up with people who follow orders knowing that those orders are wrong in every way, decency, humanity and legality.
You’re entitled to your opinion, but you forgot a key word, that’s “ILLEGAL” Immigrants, and as a tax payer who works for a living and pays the federal, state, and local taxes, fees and all other costs expected by the unemployed, and now fund the needs of illegal immigrants who chose to ignore the legal process, to violate the borders of America, and travel to one of several states run by the liberal socialist Democrats like Maura Healy who used over $1 Billion American tax payer dollars to provide housing, food, clothing, transportation, and public schools to educate illegal immigrant children, I’ll be ringing the bells on a daily basis, because two illegal immigrants arrested, detained, and soon deported is only two less than too many more who will all be captured, detained, and deported by ICE, CBP, & the U.S. Immigration Laws after avoiding the process to come to America legally, and I’m one of many who is tired of paying for the growing welfare class in Massachusetts, and beyond, the people who would rather collect a check and shop with food stamps rather than live with dignity and self respect, working for a living and supporting themselves, they’ll also feel their free ride ending soon, thanks to President Trump, the Republican led House, and the Republican led Senate, who will be cutting the taxes of the middle class and wealthy tax payers, the hard working people that Democrats believe should fund the needs of the unemployed, the have-nots, as well as any, and all aid to illegal immigrants across America.
Next time illegal immigrants want to lie about claiming asylum, do it in Mexico, or Canada, we’re not the meal ticket for 20 Million Illegal Immigrants anymore!!!
Dear Anonymous Commenter,
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to read my letter and to share your perspective. I welcome dialogue, even when we disagree, because open conversation is essential to democracy and understanding. That said, I feel compelled to respond with clarity, respect, and conviction.
You emphasized the word “illegal” with great force, as if legality alone defines justice. But history tells us otherwise. Not everything that is legal is moral, and not everything that is illegal is wrong. At one point, it was illegal for people of African descent and European descent to marry, to eat at the same counters, or to attend the same schools. Slavery was legal. The internment of Japanese Americans was legal. Colonial conquest, land theft, and genocide were legal. Legality, especially in a country built on stolen land and stolen labor, is not a reliable compass for morality.
You speak of people as “illegal immigrants.” I speak of them as human beings. You reduce their lives to violations of paperwork, while I insist on recognizing their full humanity, their traumas, their contributions, and their dreams. You say they “chose to ignore the legal process,” but you ignore the political and economic violence—often U.S.-funded or initiated—that forces families to flee their homelands in the first place.
Let me offer a metaphor: if someone steals your car at gunpoint, drives it for years, and then parks it somewhere, it was never truly theirs. And if you take that car from them, that act isn’t theft—it’s a small piece of justice. This land was taken through violence, held through force, and maintained through power. You cannot claim someone is trespassing on what was never to be owned.
As I wrote:”There is no such thing as an illegal human being on stolen land.You cannot trespass on land taken through genocide.You cannot be ‘undocumented’ on a continent soaked in the blood of Indigenous and African peoples, and built on the backs of enslaved Natives, Africans, and immigrants.They did not cross the border—the borders crossed us.”
You mention being tired of paying for others. I understand economic frustration. But don’t aim your anger downward at the most vulnerable. Ask instead why billionaires pay less in taxes than the undocumented migrant workforce. Ask why corporations exploit tax loopholes while communities struggle. Don’t mistake scapegoating for solutions.
Undocumented immigrants make significant contributions to the U.S. economy through their labor and tax payments. In 2022, they paid approximately $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. This includes $59.4 billion to the federal government and $37.3 billion to state and local governments (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 2024).
Beyond tax contributions, undocumented workers play a crucial role in various industries, such as agriculture, construction, and services. Their labor supports economic growth and helps maintain the affordability of goods and services. For instance, in Washington state, immigrants constitute nearly 50% of the agricultural workforce and around 21% in manufacturing (Axios, 2025).
Mass deportation of undocumented immigrants would have detrimental economic effects. Studies estimate that such actions could reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by 4.2% to 6.8%. Additionally, the federal government would lose approximately $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrant households (American Immigration Council).
These figures underscore the substantial economic benefits that undocumented immigrants provide through both their labor and tax contributions.
And finally, you wrote all of this with such conviction—but chose to do so anonymously. If you truly believe in your words, why not stand by your name as I have stood by mine?
With clarity and respect,
Thank you Eric Andrade for this extremely hard to hear , mouth dropping actions of what pure evil and extreme abuse has taken over our society!
Monsters/ Mobsters!
You and I could exchange views, and facts backed by statistics for the next five years and never agree on a single issue.
It’s obvious from your opinions about this issue, and many other opinions you’ve shared, and how you describe them, you’re a liberal Democrat, I’m a conservative Republican, you’re African American, my family’s ancestors are from Northern Europe, which is white, and with those two facts alone, we couldn’t be further apart in our opinions, or how we view the world, or the area we live in, so it’s pointless to even have a conversation about most political policies from the widest range of topics. One example is your thoughts, and opinions on how residents in a city or town, in particular, your opinion that residents who own a home and live on a fixed income shouldn’t be taxed the same way as their neighbors who are working and higher income, I don’t agree with that at all, and it’s not gentrification, property owners are not taxed based on their race, property taxes in New Bedford are first increased based on the spending plan, then the tax rate is increased up to a maximum of 2.5%, any higher increase would have to be approved by the voters in a proposition 2.5 override. Property tax rates for New Bedford are generally 175% for commercial property, and 100% for residential property, regardless of race or income level. You want to lower taxes for residents on a fixed income which would lead to a larger increase in taxes for residents who are currently working, or retired and living on a pension, 401k, or social security, possibly all three.
Property owners can’t, and won’t be taxed unfairly, and that’s state law.
One other area you mentioned is how much money illegal immigrants paid in federal, state, and local taxes, but you didn’t mention the added costs in border security, the added court costs to illegal immigrants being arrested, jailed, and deported, or the additional costs of their children receiving an education at no cost to illegal immigrants, but to the tax payers in cities, towns, and states like Massachusetts, New York, etc., and you didn’t mention the victims of crimes committed by illegal immigrants, many under 18 females who were victims of sexual assault, and many criminals that have repeated offenses, none of those crime would have occurred if the illegal immigrants were never allowed across the border.
Those two topics are already far more than I intended to write.
My last words, you asked why I don’t include my name like you do, and the reason is that I don’t want to jeopardize the safety of my wife and children, or my employment with a great company where I earn a very generous salary, benefits, and complete compensation package by people who view a different opinion as hate, it’s not intended, or expressed that way, it’s simply a way of offering an alternate view of a particular topic. I’m also leaving the state later this year and I don’t want to have any issues selling my property.