Wow, just what we needed, another example of the Trump administration’s deportation spree gone wrong, and Joe Rogan is all over it, because, you know, someone has to be, right? I mean, can you believe that a gay Venezuelan makeup artist was deported to El Salvador without due process? Andry, the 31-year-old makeup artist, was seeking asylum in the United States, but instead, he got a one-way ticket to El Salvador, where he’s now being held in a prison that’s basically a nightmare on earth.
And the reason for this huge mistake? Well, it turns out that the immigration officials thought Andry’s tattoos were a sign of gang affiliation, because, you know, tattoos are always a reliable indicator of someone’s criminal activity (eyeroll). But, as Andry’s attorney, Lindsay Toczylowski, pointed out, those tattoos are just normal tattoos that you’d see on anyone at a coffee shop (no, really, who doesn’t have a tattoo of a snake wrapped around a skull?). Meanwhile, I’m over here thinking, what’s next? Are they going to start deporting people with piercings or tattoos of cats?
But, of course, this isn’t an isolated incident, because another Venezuelan asylum-seeker was also deported to El Salvador despite having no criminal record (sensing a pattern here?). And, as Joe Rogan pointed out, this is just bad for the cause (yeah, no kidding), because now we’ve got innocent people being lumped in with actual gang members, and it’s just a big ol’ mess. And don’t even get me started on the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, which sounds like a real vacation spot (not).
And, let’s be real, the government isn’t exactly known for admitting its mistakes, so I’m not holding my breath for a course correction anytime soon. As Konstantin Kisin said, “Never admit your fault. Never admit you’re wrong” (because that’s just not how politics works, apparently). But, hey, maybe I’m just being pessimistic, and the government will suddenly develop a conscience and start doing the right thing (yeah, right). Anyway, if you want to learn more about this mess, I recommend checking out the Daily Beast or Forbes, because they’ve got all the tea on this story.
But, seriously, can we just take a step back and think about how absurd this whole situation is? I mean, we’ve got a government that’s supposed to be protecting its citizens, but instead, it’s deporting innocent people to prisons in other countries, and we’re just supposed to be okay with that? It’s like, what’s next? Are they going to start interning people in camps or something? I mean, I know that sounds dramatic, but seriously, this is some Orwellian stuff right here.
And, on a completely unrelated note, has anyone tried those new coffee creamer flavors from Amazon? I mean, I know it’s not exactly relevant to the topic at hand, but I just tried the caramel macchiato flavor, and it’s actually pretty good. Anyway, back to the topic at hand, because, you know, deportation is no joke, and we need to be talking about this stuff. So, let’s get back to Andry’s story and how we can help him and others like him who are being unjustly deported.
And, finally, I just want to say that if you’re as outraged as I am about this whole situation, then you should be contacting your representatives and demanding that they do something about it, because, you know, silence is complicity, and we can’t just sit back and watch as innocent people are being deported to prisons in other countries. So, let’s get involved and make some noise about this issue, because it’s time for a change.