> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.possibilities.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # And So It Begins - URL: https://www.possibilities.news/donald-trump-mass-deportations/ - Published: 2025-01-30T13:00:03.000Z - Updated: 2025-05-30T21:46:53.000Z - Description: Donald Trump promised chaos, and he's not disappointing. Plus: an original playlist we can all listen and cry to together. - Author: Yessenia Funes **This edition is available to all — except for the subscriber-only exclusives. If you want access to everything, take advantage** [**here**](https://www.possibilities.news/january-2025-free-trial) **of a free trial I'm offering for just a few more days or upgrade to a paid subscription** [**here**](https://possibilities-2.ghost.io/ghost/?ref=possibilities.news#/portal/account/plans) **to support my work long-term. Starting next week, I'll be back to limiting more newsletters to paid subscribers only.** --- **LISTENING:** *to Latin Mafia on repeat ahead of their concert next month* **FEELING:** *so goddamn pissed* **SEEING:** *my beloved Thich Nhat Hanh* [*meditation cards*](https://www.parallax.org/product/mindfulness-essentials-cards/?ref=possibilities.news) *my boo gifted me* President Donald Trump has [begun](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/chicago-immigration-trump-ice/index.html?ref=possibilities.news) his planned mass deportations, [ripping individuals from their families](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/chicago-immigration-trump-ice/index.html?ref=possibilities.news) and the communities they've come to call home. The Trump administration has said it is targeting "criminals," but let's not forget that the president himself has [34 felony convictions](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/donald-trump-legal-cases-charges/675531/?ref=possibilities.news). I'm a U.S. citizen, and I'm scared. I told my mom to carry her green card everywhere. I'm going to begin carrying my passport whenever I leave my house. I texted a cousin who's undocumented to make sure he knows his rights. One of my best friends shared that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were outside her brother's job this morning. They are U.S. citizens, and they're scared, too. In Newark, New Jersey, ICE [detained U.S. citizens](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/immigration-raid-newark-new-jersey-mayor-angry-rcna189100?ref=possibilities.news) in a raid last week. In Arizona and New Mexico, law enforcement agents are clearly practicing racial profiling, even reportedly [targeting](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/us/navajo-detained-ice-indigenous-immigration-trump/index.html?ref=possibilities.news) citizens of the Navajo Nation. On Wednesday, Trump [announced](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/30/donald-trump-guantanamo-bay-cuban-detention-camp-illegal-migrants?ref=possibilities.news) plans to develop an immigration detention center for 30,000 people at the notorious Guantanamo Bay. If the dehumanizing realities of deportation aren't enough to move you, let me remind you that immigrants are the bedrock of our [food systems](https://atmos.earth/how-mass-deportations-could-gut-the-us-food-system/?ref=possibilities.news), [disaster recovery](https://gizmodo.com/i-have-rights-how-undocumented-laborers-are-exploited-1838922034?ref=possibilities.news), diverse culinary scene, culture, and more. [Subscribe here](https://www.possibilities.news/#/portal/signup) Mass deportations are a climate story. **This attack on immigrant families is the climate issue that needs support and attention right now.** This is how the left and environmental organizations build their base: by showing the most vulnerable that they're with them when the right tries to erase them entirely. As this chaos unfolds in American cities, Trump has tried to [pause](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/27/white-house-pauses-federal-grants/?ref=possibilities.news) funding for federal grants and loans. A court [blocked](https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce?ref=possibilities.news) him for now. The administration has left little to the imagination, making clear who its targets are in the [internal memo](https://bsky.app/profile/marisakabas.bsky.social/post/3lgr2gf5uzk27?ref=possibilities.news) the Office of Management and Budget sent around earlier this week to agency staff: "The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve." Sigh. So whom does the government aim to serve then? Clearly, not people like me. Not immigrants or the children of immigrants. Not 2sLGBTQ+ people. Not people who need affordable housing or healthcare. That's what the Green New Deal, which never came to fruition, was supposed to be all about. Building a clean, green economy that also helps the average American. Incentivizing a transition away from fossil fuels that doesn't abandon the industry's workers. Finding new jobs for those folks (and others!) that can also reduce the cost of living and improve the quality of life for everyone else. Investing in a future where people have cleaner air and easier access to transit. The Green New Deal was about actually making America great again by reinvesting in social infrastructure and projects like President Franklin D. Roosevelt's [New Deal](https://www.britannica.com/event/New-Deal?ref=possibilities.news) did during the Great Depression. The Green New Deal never even happened, but the seeds it planted were scary enough to the right-wing racist nuts running this country that they're doing whatever they can to stomp out its promise. I'm pissed. I'm so angry that this is the reality we're in. That there are people in this country who agree with all that's happening. The wildfires in Los Angeles are finally nearly contained, [per CAL FIRE](https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents?ref=possibilities.news), but we know now [via an attribution study](https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-increased-the-likelihood-of-wildfire-disaster-in-highly-exposed-los-angeles-area/?ref=possibilities.news) that climate change made the fires more likely. What we're seeing today is only the beginning of what's to come. #### º ⋱・♡ Donate! ♡・⋰ º Want to help me pay photographers and writers to contribute to the newsletter? I've created an Artist Fund for anyone who wants to donate outside their regular subscriptions. Once I reach $100, I'll be able to license my first image from a photographer. Donate [here](https://buy.stripe.com/5kAbMJahWdQU3K0dQQ?ref=possibilities.news). If you'd prefer to donate funds to whatever my needs may be (not explicitly the artist fund), you can donate [here](https://buy.stripe.com/aEU2c9ahW5ko2FW4gh?ref=possibilities.news). In Palestine, families are finally [returning home](https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-01-27-2025-48a7eb98d6900cdf24b32ea93b5bc584?ref=possibilities.news) to Gaza, where they'll soon have to contend with the devastation of their [ecosystems and waterways](https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/damage-gaza-causing-new-risks-human-health-and-long-term-recovery?ref=possibilities.news) (along with all the trauma that comes with surviving a genocide). Trump is already [suggesting](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/trump-says-wants-clean-gaza-move-palestinians-jordan-egypt-rcna189317?ref=possibilities.news) that these families should go elsewhere in the Middle East where "they can maybe live in peace for a change." He invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the first official foreign leader to visit the White House under his leadership. Netanyahu is [scheduled](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/28/benjamin-netanyahu-white-house-visit-007284?ref=possibilities.news) to visit Feb. 4. There's so much happening right now beyond the [attacks](https://heatmap.news/sparks/renewables-permitting-pause?ref=possibilities.news) on clean energy policy and investments. It's all connected. Drawing those links is what this newsletter is about. **Possibilities is a creative climate newsletter on the possibilities that lie where crisis meets community.** Climate change has shown me that community can lean only on community during periods of crisis. We're in an active crisis now. We have only each other to lean on. How are you tapping into your community? How are you building support networks as we learn to navigate the polycrisis of this moment? I'm reporting and asking hard questions to find connections between climate change and immigrants, as well as links between climate change and queer rights. I'm writing with the hopes of informing and influencing the public and policymakers. I'm leading the CARES Media Initiative alongside Rebecca Weston of the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America to develop resources and support for other environmental and climate journalists because the world needs us now more than ever. ([If you're a journalist on this beat: Take our survey if you haven't please!](https://utulsapsychology.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV%5F6lIRmglHlvWPaXc?ref=possibilities.news)) It's never too late to figure out your role. [Find your superpower](https://time.com/6071765/what-can-i-do-to-fight-climate-change/?ref=possibilities.news). Engage. Create art. Share it. Talk to the Trumpers in your life. Try to convince them to think differently! But only if doing so won't hurt your mental health. Hit the streets. Divest from the assholes who don't deserve our money. Delete Instagram. Cancel your Amazon Prime subscription. Ride your bike. Take the train. Dance. Eat dinner with friends and share revolutionary dreams. Write poetry. Kiss! Love! Live before they make that illegal, too! This is the moment to do something. Anything! We can't sit this one out, y'all. The stakes are too damn high. 🌀 --- If you're looking for some relief, I put together all of the songs from last year's newsletters and created a [playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/27lNxsvB3DfEVOEd3Uk2b2?si=cf7d7782c9be48be&ref=possibilities.news) on Spotify. (Ugh, I know [Spotify is also evil](https://pitchfork.com/news/spotify-hosts-trump-inauguration-brunch-and-makes-150000-donation-to-ceremony/?ref=possibilities.news), and I'm sorry I can't find perfect solutions to avoid all these Big Tech villains.) I am very happy with the mix in the playlist, which features songs in the order they were included in the newsletter. You can see the clear progression of my emotions throughout the year. I hope you all enjoy. I made this for you! Please save, listen, and share. 🩵 --- 👛 In case you weren't aware, you can always adjust your subscription [here](#/portal/account/plans). The newsletter has several tiers, so if you're able to give more or need to give less, please adjust it as you see fit! 📘 I'm also giving y'all a first look into my attempt to write my children's book. I [wrote](https://www.possibilities.news/a-year-of-possibilities/) about this last year, but here is the [landing page](https://www.possibilities.news/childrens-book/) where I'm keeping track of all the editions where you can find what I've shared so far. ## Rest in Power **While we can't say for certain that climate change led to these specific weather events (we need attribution studies for that), we do know that the Earth's rising temperatures are already creating more disasters like these.** In Mozambique, Cyclone Dikeledi hit earlier this month, [killing](https://www.plenglish.com/news/2025/01/22/death-toll-from-cyclone-dikeledi-in-mozambique-rises-to-11/?ref=possibilities.news) at least 11 people, per an updated death toll. ## Currently Reading When I'm feeling down or overwhelmed, one of the surest ways to mend my heart is to spend time with my niece and nephew. Lately, my niece has been obsessed with saying "capybara" over and over again, so I found real joy reading [this piece](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/03/how-the-capybara-won-my-heart-and-almost-everyone-elses?ref=possibilities.news) from Gary Shteyngart for The New Yorker. On the ways philanthropy influences the left, [from Nina Luo for The Nation](https://www.thenation.com/article/society/progressive-left-philanthropy-strategy/?ref=possibilities.news): "My challenge to my fellow funders is this: You, more than anyone else, shape the left ecosystem that is supposed to be strong enough to win over the right. All of us who have the power to move or influence the moving of money must reexamine our assumptions. So if what we’re doing isn’t working, what would?" Alex Kaufman over at HuffPost is so, so talented. He has an [important story](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-offshore-wind%5Fn%5F6792bfdee4b0067621f84645?sve&ref=possibilities.news) on how wind projects were set to fail before Trump came in swinging. Why isn't there outrage over the air pollution industrial factory farms create? [Kenny Torrella goes deep for Vox](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/395967/iowa-factory-farm-pollution-sacrifice-state?ref=possibilities.news). Fuuuuuuck cars. RIP to Mayya Gil, a 95-year-old New Yorker who survived Nazis, Chernobyl, and COVID-19\. She was killed by a van last week, [reports Ramsey Khalifeh for Gothamist](https://gothamist.com/news/woman-who-survived-nazis-chernobyl-covid-killed-while-crossing-brooklyn-street-police-say?ref=possibilities.news). [Adam Mahoney asks a crucial question for Capital B](https://capitalbnews.org/eaton-fire-los-angeles-lawsuits/?ref=possibilities.news): Why didn't California authorities warn Black Altadena residents to evacuate in time? From Grist's [latest investigation](https://grist.org/indigenous/prison-funding-states-stolen-indigenous-land-trust/?ref=possibilities.news) into state land trusts built on stolen Indigenous lands: "There’s a direct link between incarceration and the history of land theft our communities have endured." This New York Magazine [feature](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/la-fires-wildfires-lost-homes-rebuild.html?ref=possibilities.news) by Abe Streep is one hell of a read. It's worth every minute. This [short news article](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/altadena-couple-finds-engagement-ring-rubble-home-was-rcna189551?ref=possibilities.news) by Lolita Lopez and Karla Rendon for NBC made me cry. Good, happy tears! ## Poetry can we escape apocalypse? can we retreat to the comfort of our sheets and our bodies? can we kiss away the pain? or fuck in the name of freedom? the end is coming for us all one day, some in ways more violent than others. you can look away and turn to the vices that numb that haunting feeling. or you can face it head on. you can look apocalypse in the eye and wish it the best. you can embrace it with a hug or shove it off a ledge. we can't escape the truth. we can only delay. \-ylf- ****What are you reading and seeing? Share in a comment.** **See you next week. It'll be exclusive for paid subscribers as I've been doing some reporting on a project I'm excited to share here. xx** \- Yessenia