President Donald Trump declared Nov. 1 a National Day of Remembrance for Americans Killed by Illegal Aliens. It is one of the most disgraceful acts Trump has done to date.
The declaration, issued on Oct. 30, stated “We solemnly stand with their families — our Angel Families — who have endured what no American family should ever have to suffer. Today, we recommit to ensuring that those responsible for these tragedies face justice, while taking every action to prevent these horrific acts from occurring in our nation.”
Trump went on to announce full support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (among other border agencies and law enforcement) in the proclamation, who have reportedly lost thousands of immigrant children.
Furthermore, Nov. 1 is the start of Dias de Los Muertos—a pivotal, traditional Mexican holiday which celebrates the deceased. Trump’s proclamation aligning with the start of Dias de Los Muertos seems certainly intentional. And without a doubt cruel and distasteful.
This so-called “day of remembrance” is fueled by a hatred that builds the backing of Trump’s campaigning and presidency. It makes me disgusted to be American. It makes me disgusted to be even slightly affiliated with a man who perpetuates a narrative which is blatantly false or wildly exaggerated.
There were just over 1,600 Americans killed by illegal aliens in 2018, according to an ICE report. The previous year, they reported less than 1,600. That seems like a high number, right? Allow me to make a few comparisons. There were about 1,000 fatal police shootings in 2018, according to Statsita. There were 957 Hispanic murders, 2,925 Black murders, 3,315 white murders, 1,921 female murders and 4,639 male murders all in 2018, according to the FBI. And the largest number of all, Trump has murdered over 200,000 Americans through his administration’s handling of COVID-19.
The number of Americans killed by illegal aliens is not a drastic number when compared to others. Trump knows this, whether he’ll publicly admit it or not. Installing the day of remembrance is not justified by moral judgement and empathy. Its installation is racist and xenophobic. The only thing accomplished by this act was appeasing the group of hateful supporters who rode on Trump’s “build the wall” campaign promise.
The only group of people who approve this act continue to believe an illegal immigrant narrative which is inhumane and entirely misconstrued. Anyone who cosigns this day of remembrance needs a less than gentle reminder that America is built on a genocide. A genocide of Native Americans committed by European aliens.
I think this proclamation comes at a perfect time to summarize Trump’s presidency. A presidency full of hatred and needless divide. A presidency inspired by cult mentality. A presidency ridden with inaccurate information and plenty of falsehoods. The most distasteful presidency America has ever had.
I condemn the creation of this day of remembrance. Hopefully it is removed one day, and the narrative evaporates. I will patiently wait for that day.
Carter Kolpitcke can be reached at [email protected].