“Do the Right Thing, Judge”: The Threat That Worked
Stephen Miller warned the courts to fall in line—or else. Days later, a federal judge greenlit the Trump regime’s plan to deport a man without charges or trial, using a law from 1798.
“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us... the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”
— Elizabeth Cady Stanton
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
— Steve Biko
A Chilling Precedent: The Court’s Order
Last night, a judge handed down a ruling that should terrify every person who still believes in freedom. Under the cover of a nearly forgotten law — the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 — the court authorized the Trump administration to deport a Venezuelan man without charges, without evidence, without a trial. Simply because he was Venezuelan.
This isn’t due process. It’s not even law enforcement. It’s a wholesale rejection of justice itself. It’s a modern-day echo of one of America’s darkest chapters: the mass internment of Japanese-Americans. That internment, justified under the very same Alien Enemies Act, stripped tens of thousands of their rights, dignity, and freedom, based on nothing more than fear and prejudice.
Today’s administration revives that same hateful machinery, claiming "national security" to justify mass expulsions. No individual assessments. No evidence. Just nationality. Just fear.
It’s not a mistake. It’s a strategy.
And that strategy just scored a victory. Last Friday, Trump advisor Stephen Miller publicly floated the idea of suspending habeas corpus, saying the administration would consider it “depending on if the courts do the right thing.” That was not a legal analysis. It was a threat. And judging by this ruling, the courts heard it loud and clear.
From Targeting Immigrants to Rewriting the Legal System
Monday’s news made clear just how quickly this administration is moving. According to reporting by the New York Times, Trump officials now plan to assign federal agencies that have nothing to do with immigration — like the FBI, the ATF, even the DEA — to become part of ICE’s workforce. Suddenly, everyone’s immigration status is subject to scrutiny under the guise of national security.
This isn’t expanding enforcement. It’s transforming every federal agency into immigration police. It's a dramatic escalation of power, weaponizing existing institutions to silence and vanish anyone the regime decides is unwanted or inconvenient.
We've warned about this. In You Are Next. Unless You Fight Now, we described the infrastructure they were quietly building to disappear dissenters — not just immigrants. This ruling and these developments confirm that prediction in the starkest terms possible. They’re not just deporting immigrants; they’re rewriting the legal system itself, one step at a time, to vanish opposition and erase human rights altogether.
The Firewall Network Rises to Meet the Moment
But here’s what they don’t understand: we aren’t watching silently.
On Monday, members of the Firewall Network gathered again, knowing exactly what moment we face. From cities, universities, tech companies, faith communities, and legal practices, people came together, ready to act.
We drew inspiration from a simple but revolutionary tool long used in the immigrant rights movement: the red card. These wallet-sized cards — distributed by groups like the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) — inform immigrants of their rights during encounters with ICE and police. They are designed to be handed silently to law enforcement officers, asserting constitutional protections: the right to remain silent, to refuse a search, and to speak with a lawyer. They’ve protected countless people from unlawful detention, giving them a legal shield in their back pockets.
Now we’re imagining something similar — but built for professionals.
The Firewall cards won’t just say “know your rights.” They’ll say “use your position.” They’re being designed for workers embedded in the very systems that the regime is trying to weaponize: healthcare, education, law, tech, media, public service. These aren’t cards for avoiding confrontation. They’re cards for resisting corruption. A guide for professionals who want to stop their institutions from becoming instruments of authoritarianism.
They will be small enough to keep on your desk. Clear enough to hand to a colleague. Strong enough to start a conversation. Some may be magnets. Some may be stickers. All will be reminders that your workplace can be a firewall, or it can be a conduit. You get to choose.
Each card will contain short, powerful affirmations of democratic duty. QR codes will link to secure, anonymous reporting tools. They’ll give you options — for documenting abuses, for protecting whistleblowers, for connecting with others who refuse to let silence be the cost of keeping a job.
These cards are not just paper. They’re a plan.
A plan to document what’s happening. A plan to support legal challenges. A plan to protect the people who are ready to push back.
This isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s action. It’s happening now. And we need you with us.
The Broader Architecture of Suppression
The Alien Enemies Act is just one pillar. Look around. The fascist project is being built piece by piece, law by law, under the radar and in plain sight.
There’s a new tax bill under consideration in the House that would give the federal government the power to strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status based on nothing more than an accusation of “terrorism” — no evidence, no trial, no due process. Just a designation. Just a purge.
Then there’s Schedule F. If this administration succeeds in reviving it, tens of thousands of civil servants could be fired and replaced by loyalists. The goal? To hollow out the last independent remnants of government and fill them with people who will carry out orders, no matter how illegal or unthinkable.
And on the local level? Libraries shuttered. Books locked away. Commissioners silencing dissent. Families sleeping in shelters because funds for housing were gutted while police budgets ballooned.
None of this is accidental. It’s layered. Legalistic. Bureaucratically quiet. And it’s happening everywhere.
Some professionals are already rationalizing it. Some are pretending it’s not happening. But others — many others — are organizing to stop it.
The Call to Action: Wednesday’s Role in the Master Plan
This is not just a newsletter. This is not just a call to stay informed.
This is The Firewall.
We are building a professional resistance to authoritarianism. We are embedding in every field and every institution. And today, we are inviting you to join us.
Start here:
Help design the cards. Your feedback shapes what they say, how they look, and what tools they provide.
Fill out the Firewall Card Feedback Form
Join us Monday. Our next organizing call is where ideas become strategy, and strategy becomes action. You’ll meet others who are building resistance where they live and work.
Share your stories. Bring your ideas. Build your hub.
You are not alone. You are not powerless. You are part of this. Let’s move.