Uncle Sam Wants YOU — to Hunt Humans?
- jnwashington0905
- Aug 10
- 2 min read
The iconic “Uncle Sam Wants YOU” poster, once a call to serve our nation, has been repurposed. This time, it’s not for the military. It’s for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The offer:
· $50,000 signing bonus
· $60,000 in student loan repayment
· 25% premium pay
· And no college degree required.
The tagline? “Choose Your MISSION.”
The word mission has sacred weight. In most spiritual traditions, it means being sent by God to serve others. In its Latin root, missio means “to be sent.” But in ICE’s recruiting pitch, mission now means something else: the hunting of human beings. To use a holy word for that purpose is, to me, blasphemy.
The Jesus I follow welcomed the stranger, defended the vulnerable, and insisted on love of neighbor. Georgia itself, now home to one of the nation’s busiest immigration detention centers was once, a penal colony that became a mission field for Anglican priests Charles and John Wesley. They preached the “warming of the heart” that led to Methodism. How far we have fallen when due process is denied and people are discarded like trash. Even Jesus was given a trial.
Let’s be clear: this is not about “criminals.” If it were, our elections and policies would look very different. This is about control, fear, and a continuity with America’s ugliest history—from slave patrols chasing runaways to modern-day raids that tear families apart.
And to use Uncle Sam—a symbol of democracy, at a moment when democracy itself is under attack? That feels like being spit in the face.
As an African American woman, I’m not shocked. We’ve seen this before. The question is: How low can you go? Apparently, lower still.
So what is our real mission? It’s not to hunt, cage, or discard one another. Our mission, if we dare to accept it—is to be human.
But in the words of our first lady, Michelle Obama we must always remember, “When they go low, WE GO HIGH”.
#Homeland security
#USA Today
#Slave patrols
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