Alligator Alcatraz – America’s Concentration Camp

 By Mildred Robertson

We knew that America's trip toward dictatorship could conclude with America copying Nazi Germany in caging “undesirables” in concentration camps. Germans sat and watched while Hitler demonized, incarcerated, and ultimately slaughtered millions of people whose only crime was to be designated as undesirable citizens. Now it seems America will follow suit. 

Florida has proposed an immigration detention facility in the Florida Everglades, referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” by some, designed to house undocumented immigrants to facilitate their deportation. Located in a remote area of the Everglades, escapees would encounter dangerous wildlife like alligators and pythons. The facility is designed to house up to 1,000 immigrants and includes an airstrip for deportation flights.

Like Adolf Hitler, Trump has instituted aggressive domestic and international policies based upon threats, coercion, and fear. His slogan, “Make America Great Again,” mirrors Hitler’s catch phrase, “Greater German Reich”.  Trump’s attack on individuals who he says come from “shithole” countries is based primarily on race and ethnicity. He has welcomed White South Africans while demonizing Haitian immigrants.

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians fled the war-torn nation seeking safety and asylum in America. While the Trump administration claims Haiti is too dangerous for Americans to visit, they say it is safe to deport Haitian immigrants back to the war-torn nation.  Haitians who fled rampant violence in their homeland and gained protected status in the U.S. will be expelled from America unless they can qualify for asylum or a green card. The U.S. plans to revoke the immigration status of those migrants in September.

Similarly, Trump has demonized the Hispanic community, calling them rapists and murderers. While he campaigned on removing the criminal element that he says entered through a porous Southern border, he is attacking nursing mothers and even American citizens born to immigrants. Among those targeted by this administration are college students who dare to exercise their right to free speech and universities that uphold that right.

Trump has weaponized economic, military, and political power to terrorize and silence all who might oppose him. He has even flexed his seemingly unlimited political power to alienate traditional US allies like Canada, Mexico, and several other European nations. He has escalated the Middle East Crisis and abandoned well-established cooperation with agencies such as the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord. 

While many scoff at the comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler, there are too many comparisons to fail to consider the parallels between these two leaders. Just as few Germans and Europeans expected the horrific outcome of Hitler’s rise to power, many Americans appear to be unfazed by Donald Trump’s open hostility toward individual dignity, liberty, and justice for all those residing in the U.S.

Like Hitler, Trump encourages racism and xenophobia. He has demonized and targeted people of color residing in America. He fosters the belief among many low-achieving Americans that someone other than themselves is responsible for their failure to realize the “American Dream.” He scapegoats minorities and immigrants as targets for the resentment from those unrealized dreams. What comes next, we do not know. However, the signs of the impending collapse of the American experiment are everywhere.

We don’t have gas chambers here…yet. But we do have the military patrolling American streets. We do have masked goon squads spiriting people away in broad daylight without due process. We do have evidence of an unbridled appetite for power, expansionistic rhetoric, and inflamed oratory encouraging violence against critics.

It is not too late to limit this administration's expanding executive authority, but time is short. We don’t have gas chambers, but apparently, we will soon have a concentration camp to house immigrants before deportation.  So, what is next?

As Hitler ascended to power, the people of Germany exhibited fear, hope, and confusion.  Some thought Hitler would moderate his behavior once he ascended to power. Many Americans exhibit emotions like those of Germans during Hitler’s rise. They thought Trump would moderate. He didn’t.

We can read a roadmap.  How far will we follow a parallel track with Nazi Germany? How far can this administration go down the dictatorial path before it draws our ire? How far will this administration go before the America public speaks?  The silence of many German people allowed a travesty to occur in that country. Will America follow the same path?

Trump Manhandles American Citizens

 By Mildred Robertson

This president seems poised to wage war against American Citizens. He plans to decimate all dissent against his unconstitutional actions with military force. As Americans rise to meet this challenge, many may lament as David did in Psalm 13, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?" As crowds of Americans gather in the streets of Los Angeles protesting immigration overreach and hundreds of thousands across the nation prepare to protest on June 14 against this administration's various unconstitutional acts, we must pray for Godly leadership that can meet this present challenge.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

As I scan the political landscape, I see the opposition in disarray. Though seemingly simple, this man has bowed the backs of leaders on both sides of the aisle. He has gone to battle with the richest man in the world and appears to have cowed him. He has overtaken military leadership, defied the courts, and entranced Congress and the religious right. He appeals to the hearts of many Americans, and they willingly follow him.

Many are amazed at his following. This crude, unlearned, narcissistic egomaniac threatens not just America but the world as he seeks power and aggrandizement at all costs. It was not wise for politicians to survey his antics and assume that he was a buffoon. While he well may be a fool, he is a crafty one. 

Those who believe in the value of Democracy are at a crossroads today. We can continue on this 249-year journey in support of a union dedicated to principles including human liberty and the glory of God, or we can bow down to an idol. 

George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States, made a covenant with God as he took on the leadership of this newly founded democracy. In his first inaugural address Washington said, "Since we ought to be no less persuaded that propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself ordained: And since the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people."

He made it clear that no nation can expect God's blessings if it forgets who the giver of blessings is. He vowed that this nation would follow God, and that if she ever broke her promise, she would lose God's blessing and protection. 

I ask you to view Trump's actions as he manhandles the American Constitution and the American people. Does it appear that he is faithfully walking in the ways of God? Does it seem that AMERICA is walking faithfully in God's ways, or have we fallen victim to worshipping an idol? 

The Word says in Chronicles 2:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." Is America still in a covenant relationship with God? God has been faithful. Have we?

While it is crucial for Americans to lift their voices, finances, and if need be, their bodies in defense of this nation's heritage, it is equally important that we seek the wisdom and guidance of men and women who stand ready to defend this nation and the Word upon which it was founded. We must seek healing, and then we must stand against the military might of a tyrant.

UPDATE: Recent incidents further emphasize how this nation is slipping into an authoritarian dictatorship. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) on June 12th was forcibly handcuffed and removed from a press conference where Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was speaking in Los Angeles. Even after identifying himself as a sitting senator, Padilla was manhandled and evicted from the building.  The Senator said that he attempted to speak to Nome at the press conference because he had unsuccessfully sought an audience with her on several occasions.  If this is the way the administration chooses to handle a sitting member of Congress, what can the average American expect? Saturday protests will paint a fulsome picture of what the remainder of the presidency will be like.

Media Focused on Trump Trivia

 By: Mildred Robertson

Updated June 18, 2025

While perusing the internet, I saw several articles and videos about Donald Trump stumbling as he boarded Air Force One. I am amazed at the amount of dribble that finds its way into news, social media, and ultimately the minds of the American public.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP vis Getty Image

Trump stumbling while boarding the plane is not a big deal. But it was not a big deal when Biden did it either. Trump’s callous destruction of the rule of law will destroy America as we know it if the American people fail to stop him. He has embarked upon numerous crusades to attack those individuals and entities he sees as his enemy. Those assaults are the issues we must focus on. And there are plenty of them.

Right now, he is creating chaos around this country as his storm troopers invade pre-school graduations, restaurants, and Home Depot parking lots to imprison suspected immigrants without a warrant and without due process. He has met the public's response to these attacks on civil liberties by usurping the authority of the Governor of California and calling out the National Guard to quell peaceful public protests. Many speculate that his actions are intended to escalate the protests, providing grounds for him to institute martial law. A state of martial law would empower him to suspend citizens' legal civil rights protections.

Trump has co-opted plans by the U.S. Army to celebrate its 250^th anniversary on June 14. Coincidentally, his 79^th (yes, 79^th) birthday was on that date. To no one’s surprise, thousands of soldiers marched down Constitution Avenue as tanks rolled down the streets and aircraft flew overhead, all to provide him with his authoritarian dream of a military parade in his honor. This parade was a last-minute addition to the 250^th anniversary plan. His previous attempt to hold such a parade in his honor was thwarted during his first presidency.  Heavy artillery and tanks weighing up to 60 tons are expected to do considerable damage to Constitution Avenue. The parade is expected to cost between $25 and $45 million.

In his second term, he has gutted all major federal agencies, created a brain-drain in scientific and academic institutions, blocked many foreign students from studying in the U.S., created chaos in the U.S. economy, deported American citizens, and accepted apparent bribes from world leaders. Courts have challenged his attempt to freeze foreign aid to struggling countries and ban transgender troops.

Republicans in Congress are trying to push through Trump’s stopgap funding bill that will slash nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), leading to people losing nutrition assistance and children losing access to school meals. A $1 trillion Medicaid cut would result in more than 13 million people losing access to health care, causing rural hospitals and community health care centers to face possible closures. And of course, the bill includes massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, which will increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion.  The bill also restricts Pell Grant access, making college less accessible for low-income students.

Again, Trump’s stumbling while boarding the plane is not a big deal. However, many factors associated with this presidency should cause us concern.  

Being old and stumbling is not among them. 

J-6 Rioters Seek Restitution for LEGAL imprisonment

By Mildred Robertson

The release of January 6 insurrectionists appears to have flown mostly under America’s radar, until now. Myriad challenging events have flooded the news cycle since President Donald Trump pardoned January 6 insurrectionists, including those with felony charges. On the first day of his second term, he granted clemency to approximately 1500 people convicted of various charges related to the January 6 attack on the nation’s Capital. 

                                                               Photo by Newsweek

Now Enrique Tario, the leader of the Proud Boys at the time of the insurrection is seeking restitution for his trial and conviction which ended in a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress. He and four other members of the Proud Boys allege the U.S. government violated their constitutional rights when it used illegal tactics to target and imprison J-6 participants. They accuse the government of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and the use of spies to report on trial strategy.

Trump’s blanket pardon released violent offenders along with others convicted of lesser charges. It appears to be an attempt to rewrite history and lessen the historical significance of the most consequential insurrection in American history since the Civil War.

Trump’s pardon of the J-6 rioters came as no surprise. It was the fulfillment of a campaign promise. However, many, including those in his party, were surprised that Trump granted clemency to protestors who committed violent crimes, including violently assaulting police officers. Tarrio and other leaders found guilty of organizing the insurrection were convicted of sedition and sentenced to decades in prison.

A December 2024 survey conducted by YouGov found roughly two thirds of Americans disagreed with pardoning violent January 6 protesters.  About 44 percent supported the pardon of non-violent offenders but feared that pardoning violent offenders would encourage more of the same in the future.

While discussion of the pardon seems to have fallen from the media’s radar, this move by Tarrio will likely result in greater attention to the freed rioters. Americans now must consider the consequences of the president’s imprudent actions to free those willing to commit crimes to keep him in power following his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Not only is this group free to organize and prepare to support Trump in the event he attempts to run for a third term; but they are demanding that America pay them $1 million for their lawful imprisonment for crimes against the nation. Yes, citizens such as you and me will bear the cost if this band of treasonous misfits can successfully litigate against their prosecution and incarceration. Folk who caused the death and injury of law enforcement officers, who threatened Nancy Pelosi and sought to hang Mike Pence; rioters who defecated in the halls of Congress and ransacked our seat of government…those are the folks who are seeking and could possibly attain a judgement totaling in the millions.

The thought of this is outrageous. Or maybe not. Perhaps nothing is outrageous in America anymore. It seems that we have become desensitized to evil doing. Many are not surprised at the pardon, nor the lawsuit, however appalling it may be.

I ask those of you who voted for Trump, is this what you voted for? I pray not.