Note: I am a US Citizen, so this isn’t advice for me.
But hypothetically, if I met someone who is a refugee currently in the US, who would probably be jailed or executed if deported to their home country, what are some advice I could give as to their digital OPSEC?
Should they completely ditch using phones, but at the cost of not having constant communications tool to potentially receive notification I.C.E. activities?
What are your advice?
(Just want to gather the knowledge so one day I might be able to help someone)
Yes, that would obviously be best for discovering their individual reasons and I have discussed it with a few. But I’m not asking you why they come here. I’m asking why you believe what you said to be true and valid. I’m Mexican-American myself and your words just didn’t sit right with me, it felt like you were just dismissing the whole idea of people living in Mexico…like a liberalized/opposite version of the “if you love Mexico why don’t you go back!” We get whenever we show pride for Mexico (Implying that Mexico is a terrible place nobody should want to live or be proud of). I’m sure that wasn’t your intention but its how it came off to me.
As for the substance of your response.
While mexico is certainly below in most metrics on averages, that includes wealth and cost of living averages. You shouldn’t focus on just averages but the disparity between things like cost of healthcare and general living vs wages. Also being among the lower classes drastically increases your chances to be murdered in the US which isn’t accurately represented in the average national statistics. It’s not as simple as Mexico being a death pit and America is safe.
I’m not really part of this discussion but for a lot of people brought to the US as little kids, they don’t know anyone in Mexico, maybe don’t even speak or read Spanish well enough to get settled there on a moment’s notice
Yeah and I get that. But they also don’t know anyone is Russia and/or Europe and don’t speak Polish/German/etc to make sneaking through Russia to Europe a more valid option than going to Mexico… especially when Europe themselves are going through a big surge in anti-immigant sentiments.
I just didn’t like how their message came off as if Mexico was literally Hell to be avoided at any cost.
I think the mere fact of someone having (presumably) taken the great risks of entering the US illegally and staying illegally is enough to infer that going back is not seen as a viable option, hence me discussing the alternatives as requested. On the other hand, suggesting to go back to Mexico is as good as no advice, because that’s what deportation does as well.
“suggesting to go back to Mexico is as good as no advice, because that’s what deportation does as well.”
No it’s not. Do you deny the existence of the border camps? Do you deny that people are being sent to Guantanamo or an El Salvadorian concentration camp?
Suggesting they go back to Mexico is suggesting that the reward is not worth the heightened risk.
Edit: and to be clear I’m not even suggesting that they do go back. I’d just suggest that they asses the risk/reward and if they choose to stay they NEED to recognize the risk and organize within their communities accordingly.