Why should Irish people pay attention to America, a country now in turmoil? Because the future of Western democracy is at stake.

Flood the Zone

The Trump administration’s strategy is “Flood the Zone.” It comes directly from the major document Project 2025, published by the right-wing think tank, the Heritage Foundation. Russell Vought wrote an important chapter in it; he is now head of the Office of Budget Management, which oversees a federal budget of $6.75 trillion. Other authors of the document also hold powerful positions: John Ratcliffe as CIA director, Brendan Carr as FCC chairman, and Tom Homan as “Border Czar.”

The core concept of this strategy is a blitzkrieg-style assault on laws and parts of government that do not align with the far right. This approach has worked until now, but at last, it is catching up with them — not only in the courts of law, but in the court of public opinion as well.

Epstein: Secrecy

Nuair a mhoilligh Coiste Maoirseachta an Tí ar na comhaid Epstein a scaoileadh, mhéadaigh an t-amhras. De réir cáipéisí a scaoil Democracy Forward an tseachtain seo caite, d’fhéadfadh Trump a bheith luaite iontu, agus dhiúltaigh Kash Patel, stiúrthóir an FBI, aon fhreagra a thabhairt faoi sin.

The victims did not remain silent. Several came to the Capitol to deliver public statements, demanding the release of the records and accountability for the powerful men involved. The attempted cover-up did not smother the story; on the contrary, it expanded it.

Homan: Bribes

According to internal documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, Tom Homan, the “Border Czar,” accepted a $50,000 bribe. At first, the White House did not deny it; then, it flatly rejected the claim. But security experts are highlighting suspicious contracts at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The more the denials, the deeper the digging goes.

Venezuela: No Evidence

Trump ordered attacks on Venezuelan fishing boats, claiming they were drug smugglers. No evidence was ever provided. Legal experts say it is highly likely the attacks were unlawful and breached international standards. This sets a precedent in international law and raises major questions about the principles of NATO and the EU.

Intervention in South America

In Brazil, Trump raised tariffs 50% to protect Jair Bolsonaro even after he was convicted of attempting a coup. The United States imposed sanctions on the wife of the judge who led the case. Brazil’s government called it “illegal interference” and has since turned away from Trump.

In Argentina, as reported in The Wall Street Journal last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed the U.S. was sponsoring a financial experiment by President Javier Milei. Argentina is in crisis, and there is little chance Trump can rescue it.

Free Speech: Kimmel

When ABC suspended the comedy show Jimmy Kimmel Live! after he criticized Trump, there was an immediate backlash. Disney’s stock fell, a boycott began, and First Amendment (free speech) voices rose up. Within days, Kimmel was back on the air.

Just like an attempt to silence RTÉ or TG4, this shows that it is public resistance that protects free speech in democracies.

Antifa & Science: Myth Instead of Truth

Trump declared that “antifa” was a terrorist organization, even though the FBI stated it is only an ideology. He also claimed there was a major autism risk from paracetamol use during pregnancy — claims unsupported by any scientific evidence, as AP and The New York Times recently confirmed.

Support Declining

Only 32% of American adults voted for Trump in 2024. A majority of 53% are dissatisfied with his performance, 48% of them strongly so. As analyst G. Elliott Morris wrote last week in Substack 538: every overreach highlights Trump’s weaknesses, not his strengths.

Conclusion: Hope for the West

Ireland itself has learned, through its long history of struggle, that democratic resistance always prevails. We are living through a difficult period. The West is turning toward authoritarianism, and, sadly, especially the United States — which stood for so long as a defender of democracy. But the story is not over.

As partners in the Atlantic alliance and as members of the EU, Ireland has an important role to play in supporting democratic values. And equally, all of us in the Western world must remain hopeful. As the old saying goes: “After darkness comes light.”

The detention of a longtime U.S. resident at San Francisco airport shows how fragile constitutional protections have become — even for those who have lived legally in America for decades.

Instead of being greeted by his wife, Victor Varela Avila was met by immigration officers at San Francisco International Airport in California. They pulled him aside, scanned his ID, and took him away.

He was returning from Japan, where he had visited his son — a U.S. Air Force service member stationed overseas. After more than fifty years of faithfully renewing his green card, this father and grandfather was suddenly detained — his most basic rights ignored.

The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution guarantee due process to all people within U.S. borders. Permanent residents like Avila are entitled to the same fundamental protections as citizens. Yet he was held for weeks without a clear explanation or immediate judicial review, despite half a century of lawful residency. His case shows us what happens when legal protections are treated as optional.

Avila's life in America

Avila first arrived in San Diego, California, from San Luis, Mexico, in 1967, when he was just sixteen. He worked in the fields beside his father, picking produce in the hot California sun. Over time, he built a career as a legal assistant.

He raised four children and became a grandfather of six. His coworkers describe him as compassionate and reliable, someone who “always put others first.” He has been a green card holder his entire adult life, living, working, and raising his family in the only country he calls home.

Old convictions come to light

Immigration officials justified Avila’s detention by citing a 2009 conviction for DUI and misdemeanor drug possession. He served his 90-day sentence, paid his fines, and moved on. For the next sixteen years, there were no further incidents. His green card was renewed multiple times without issue.

Now, that old offense is being dredged up as grounds for removal. To his family, it feels like punishment without purpose.

“He rebuilt his life with compassion and integrity,” his daughter Carina Mejia said. “My dad’s the most caring person. He’s not a threat, as they are making him out to be.”

Uncertain conditions

After being stopped at the airport, Avila was held in an office without a bed for two weeks. Eventually, he was transferred to the Golden State Annex, an immigrant detention center near Bakersfield, California.

It is a five-hour drive from Chula Vista, California, near the U.S.–Mexico border, making family visits exhausting and infrequent. On Father’s Day, Mejia made the trip. She sat across from him at a bare table as he walked into the room in an orange jumpsuit.

“He comes out and you can see his invisible pain,” she said quietly afterward. “He doesn’t belong there.”

Family Shouldering the Burden

At home in Chula Vista, Avila had been the primary caregiver for his wife, who suffers from chronic health conditions, and for his elderly mother. Neither can drive, and both depended fully on him because of that.

That responsibility now falls to Mejia. She balances caregiving with her job as a clinical social worker and the demands of raising her teenage daughter. “No family should be torn apart like this,” she said. “It is very difficult for us to survive without my father being with us. I just want my dad home again.”

A Community stands with him

Friends, colleagues, and relatives have launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover his legal fees, describing him as “a productive member of society, loved by many.” Supporters argue that keeping him locked up for a nonviolent mistake from sixteen years ago is not justice — it is cruelty.

Avila’s final court date is scheduled for October 2025, when a judge will decide whether he can remain in the United States. This legal hearing will affect not just his future, but that of his entire family.

Broader Implications

But Avila’s case is not just about one man or one family. It reveals a deeper problem: even legal permanent residents are not immune from detention and deportation. A single misstep, no matter how distant or minor, can have a large affect on the whole life of legal residents, on their family stability, and on the whole community.

For Avila and his family, it has been a terrible blow. For the rest of us, it poses a fundamental question: if a man who has lived legally in the United States for more than fifty years — a man who raised children who serve this country, who cared for his wife and mother, and who supported his family through honest work — can be treated without regard for his constitutional rights, who is truly safe?

This erosion of basic human rights is unacceptable in any democracy, and especially in the United States. For decades, America styled itself as the “shining city on a hill,” a beacon of hope and freedom. But when legal residents like Avila can be locked away for an old mistake long since addressed, that vision is tarnished, and it is in danger of collapse.

We must demand that the constitutional rights of all are respected. We must raise our voices, and we must use our votes. When the system can so casually take away Avila’s freedom, it threatens the rights of every one of us.

This should never happen.

Mistreatment of a Long-Term US resident by immigration officials!