This blog originally began as a place to record the story of our long-distance relationship during the early internet years (2003), how we navigated the immigration system before and after getting married in 2009. With the help of our immigration lawyer, we were able to bring F.B. to the U.S. as a permanent resident in 2011.
And then we became complacent. Life trucked along. There wasn't any rush to change his immigration status. Life in the United States felt monotonous, predictable, safe. Until it wasn't anymore...
In 2020, before the pandemic and widespread shutdowns, F.B. and I finally decided to submit his application for naturalization in the United States. In June 2021 he became a naturalized United States citizen, after taking the oath at an immigration office here in Philadelphia.
Now it’s 2026. We’ve been married for nearly 17 years, and F.B. has been a U.S. citizen since 2021... and I'm still scared every single day since the 2024 elections. I worry that something, somewhere, is wrong in a government database, a mistake or typo that could have ICE knocking at our door, or worrying they will conduct raids at my husbands workplace, or pull him over in a traffic stop because of his skin color or Filipino accent. We scanned his naturalization paperwork so he can carry it with him, but what guarantees they would even look at it? This administration detains first and asks questions later.
I have flashbacks of the World War II history I've read about since I was 11. Our class had to read Anne Frank's diary for a book report. As an adult I dived into countless memoirs and history books about what happened during Hitlers reign. History always repeats itself, but I never thought the whole world would be looking in abject horror at what's happening in the United States right now. How did we get here? Where has our humanity gone as a nation? None of this normal!
Americans are being killed in the streets by federal employees. Immigrants, families, children, people who are following the law, attending their hearings and working with immigration lawyers are being detained, torn from their homes, schools and families. Deported to countries they are not from, or held in crowded prison camps. All of this is happening without due process. People. Humans. Disappeared.
We're only twenty-six days into 2026 and now two Americans are deceased. Rene Good and Alex Pretti. Murdered by ICE in broad daylight. They were true American patriots who stood up against injustice and for the dignity of others. They deserve justice & will never be forgotten.
We are so fortunate to have people willing to put themselves at risk to witness and document the abuses being carried out by ICE and other government agencies under this administration. The right to protest an unjust government is protected by the First Amendment of our constitution. If no one speaks up, everyone is complicit.
Please email your Senators and Representatives, protest safely if you can, register to vote, and vote in local, state, and federal elections. If you’re outside the country, please boycott the United States. We need your help!
I don't know where we go from here. It seems like every day there's some other new atrocity. Since last year, I've been in a cocoon here at home. Terrified to go anywhere. Only leaving when necessary.
Welcome to America...
Credit: C Whisenhunt. Death of Liberty & Justice.
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