I Pay for a Country That’s Always Been at War With Me
When you fear ICE after citizenship, the system is broken by design.
At what point are we going to impeach this fascist?
What breaks my heart the most is knowing that if an impeachment ever comes, it probably won’t be because the people demanded it—it’ll be because the bourgeoisie class, the wealthy elite, finally decided he’s no longer useful to them. Not because he failed the working class, or because he put lives at risk, or because he shattered every standard of decency and is a racist. But because the money stopped flowing in the right direction. That’s how this country works.
Time and time again, we watch the same pattern unfold: money speaks louder than people. Corporations buy influence while regular folks are told to wait their turn. Our voices get drowned out by lobbyists, billionaires, and political games that have nothing to do with our survival. We’re shouted over by CEOs and silenced by the same systems that claim to represent us.
“The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.” - Karl Marx
Our so-called representatives in Congress rarely listen to us unless there's profit on the line. It’s not about protecting democracy or uplifting communities, it’s about maintaining power. And when justice is determined by who has the deepest pockets, it’s no wonder people feel hopeless. But we have to keep calling it out. We have to keep organizing, even when it feels like no one’s listening. Because if we don’t speak up, they’ll pretend we never existed.
ICE is the modern day Geheime Staatspolizei
The Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei) was basically Hitler’s secret police, and they were terrifying. They didn’t need a reason to arrest you—if you spoke out, looked different, or just existed in the wrong way, they could spy on you, torture you, or make you disappear.
It’s not just about politics anymore. It’s about survival. As a disabled, naturalized citizen from Brazil, the fear I carry every day in this country is real. I live with the knowledge that even after becoming a U.S. citizen, I could still be targeted. ICE doesn’t ask if you’ve contributed, are vulnerable, or belong here. They just act with inhumane intentions. That fear never really goes away. It sits in your chest like a weight, especially under an administration that fuels that very fear.
Impeaching Trump isn’t about bipartisanship. It’s about protecting we the people. People like me, who don’t have the privilege of ignoring what’s happening. The cruelty under his leadership wasn’t just rhetoric. It has become policy even when he neglects the separation of church and state. Policies that harmed disabled people, immigrants, Black and brown communities, women, LGBTQ, and anyone who didn’t fit the mold of his fascist cruel America. It’s terrifying to live in a country where secretaries and cabinet members weaponize their power against the very people they’re meant to serve, using our tax dollars to make us more afraid, more isolated, and more disposable.
“If my tax dollars are going toward cruelty and corruption, toward funding agencies that cage children, target immigrants, strip disabled people, LGBTQ+ folks, and women of their rights, and uphold white supremacy, then I have every right to resist. I didn’t sign up to bankroll fascism. I didn’t agree to pay for my own surveillance or to be complicit in violence against my community. Resistance isn’t just a right at that point. It’s a responsibility.”
What exhausts me most is that we pay for this harm. Every time I pay taxes, I know a piece of it funds agencies that dehumanize and target people who look like me. We’re constantly told to be grateful for our place here, yet we’re never truly safe. Impeachment isn’t just about holding a man accountable. It’s about drawing a line in the sand and saying we won’t let fear and fascism rule us.
This country has failed to protect so many of us. Removing someone who normalized white supremacy and authoritarianism is the bare minimum. It won’t fix everything, but it sends a message that we will not accept hate as policy. I deserve better. You deserve better.
Impeaching Trump isn’t just about punishing a former president. It’s about drawing a line and saying that this country cannot continue to enable leaders who treat power like a weapon against the people. From ICE raids to rollbacks on disability rights, from targeted attacks on LGBTQ+ communities to ignoring the voices of working-class citizens, Trump’s legacy is one of calculated harm. When a leader uses the government to oppress, silence, and criminalize the very people who fund and uphold it, removal isn’t radical—it’s necessary. If we believe in any version of justice, it starts by holding those in power accountable.
All photographs are copyrighted by ©Adriano Kalin.
