“The Policeman said to me, ‘You want to know the way? Give up! Just give up!’”
   -- The Complete Stories ("Give It Up!"), by Franz Kafka

The current Administration has put in place an amazingly complex web of enforcement practices that have moved the U.S. from what often had been called “catch and release” to what we might now label “deter and deport.” My learning curve was steep and swift, even for someone with a law degree and a long business career in systems engineering.

“You don't need to accept everything as true, you only have to accept it as necessary.” 
-- The Trial, by Franz Kafka

People who have been inside the “tent courts” describe a surreal world. A massive complex of gleaming white tents sits on a platform over a former parking lot. Fake grass turf covers the walkways between tents, while gray linoleum covers the floors of the vinyl-walled hallways, offices, and courtroom spaces inside. The judge appears on a large video display, sitting in a real courtroom many miles away. The prosecutor speaks off-screen, and often untranslated.

This is the first in a series of brief reports from my trip to the US-Mexico border for On Earth Peace.

This video shows the call put out by Joshua Rubin for people to come to Brownsville/Matamoros to witness the results of the Migrant Protection Protocols program started in 2019. Under MPP, asylum seekers who attempt to enter the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border may be required to stay in Mexico while immigration courts make a decision regarding their case.

“Debt is a form of social control. You can force people to do all kinds of things if you put them in debt first."

- Photo and quote courtesy of NNOMY website.

According to a recent article posted by The National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth (NNOMY), the U.S. Army has reached its recruiting goal for the year, attributing this success to America's current student debt crisis. A recent revamp in recruiting tactics has placed elimination of student loan debt at the forefront of social media campaigns. With the collective student debt surpassing $1.5 trillion dollars, and the average person having $31,000 in loan debt, being debt free is an appealing incentive.

Hello everyone! My name is Mayara Storer and I’m the new LGBTQ Justice Intern with On Earth Peace. I’m 22 years old and from Brazil, but I’ve been living in the USA for four years now. I recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication, and I’m so excited to start this position and engage with you all!

Talking about LGBTQ Justice is important to me not only because I am part of the community, but because I truly believe that people have the right to be with whoever they love with no shame or fear of not being accepted. Personally, I had a hard time accepting the fact that I could be attracted to other women. I had a hard time accepting myself. I attribute this to the pressure that society puts on us to be the way they want us to be since we are little kids (girls wear pink, guys wear blue). Especially when it comes to religion; some people use it as an argument or explanation for why they don’t agree with or accept the LGBTQ community, sometimes even leading to offensive comments. However, I associate God with love. Everything done or said that disrespects, hurts ,or harms other people, should never be for His/Her will. Because of that, I’m really happy to be part of a faith-based organization that brings the conversation on LGBTQ Justice to the forefront and gives us a platform to share our thoughts on the subject.