Are we aligned?

Letters From The In-Between: Are we aligned?

​Vanessa Santos

I was waiting for the light to change while in LA this week, and I saw a flower vendor on the corner. Selling flowers. Selling toys. Providing for his family.

And I got emotional.

Because I know that at some point in his life, in his hopeful years, he had dreams. Just like you and I have dreams.

I became emotional because I think about how many times we silence our dreams. We silence ourselves. And we remain hopeful that things will get better.

But hope is passive. And in the times we are living in, being passive isn't going to cut it anymore.

Last week, I was walking my boys. And I thought I saw an ICE agent.

I didn't wait to confirm. I immediately turned around and walked home as fast as I could without running. Then I stood at my window, watching. Wondering what was happening. Wondering what I could do. Wondering how I could help.

And the worst part?

I stayed silent. I didn't say anything to anyone. I just... walked away. Because I didn't know what to do.

And I know I'm not alone in that fear.

Silence creates uneasiness in the body. It sits there. It compounds. Which is why expression, in a safe space can feel like finally exhaling. Like putting down something you didn't realize you were carrying. Not because speaking fixes everything. But because holding it alone was never the design.

I've been reflective for months. Offline. Quiet.

Not because I didn't care but because I was protecting my peace while I rebuilt my life. After everything I went through last year, I knew staying too close to the chaos would further break me.

But I realized that staying off for too long doesn't protect you. It disconnects you. It puts you in a bubble where you can pretend the world isn't on fire.

Silence has a shelf life. And mine expired.

If you grew up as the one who held everything together - the eldest daughter, the fixer, the one who couldn't attend to your own needs until everyone else was okay, you might be feeling a strange guilt right now. Like you should be doing more. Fixing more. Feeling more.

But you cannot regulate an entire nation's emotions. That was never your job.

What you CAN do is stay conscious. Stay informed. And refuse to look away, not because you have all the answers, but because looking away was never actually an option for people like us.

So I started doing my research. Not to have all the answers. But because I needed to understand what's actually happening.

🧊 Here's what I've learned:

ICE is currently operating under a policy (confirmed through a leaked May 2025 memo) that allows agents to forcibly enter homes using only administrative warrants. Not judicial warrants signed by judges. Warrants signed by ICE itself. Let me put this in simple terms: Imagine someone writing their own permission slip to enter your home. That's what's happening. Federal judges have ruled this violates the Fourth Amendment. A Bush-appointed former federal judge called it unconstitutional.

And people are dying (this does not include the full death toll, only the most recent deaths)

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen with no criminal record was shot in the face while acting as a legal observer in Minneapolis. Multiple gunshots. Video evidence and eyewitnesses contradict the official self-defense claim. The medical examiner ruled it a homicide.

• She was a white woman. And that's when many started paying attention. Because sadly, we're used to Black and brown folks being killed in this country. It shouldn't take a white woman dying for people to care. But here we are.

She was a white woman. And that's when many started paying attention. Because sadly, we're used to Black and brown folks being killed in this country. It shouldn't take a white woman dying for people to care. But here we are.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen with no criminal record was shot by Border Patrol agents while filming them with his phone. Filming. Which is not illegal. Video shows an agent removed his legally-owned firearm from his waistband while he was pinned to the ground less than one second before another agent opened fire. Multiple gunshots.
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A 5-year-old boy named Liam was detained with his father. They have an active asylum case. No deportation order. They were transferred to a detention center in Texas within 24 hours.

• Can you imagine your 5-year-old being used as bait?

Can you imagine your 5-year-old being used as bait?

This is not a policy debate. This is not even a human rights conversation.

This is a consciousness issue.

It matters what you stand for. We cannot accept this lawless behavior from this administration, so what can we do? I'm still figuring it out myself.

But I do know this: We don't need to be experts to care. We don't need perfect language to speak. We don't need to have all the answers to stay informed.

What we can do is learn. Together.

I've been following accounts like @aclu_nationwide, @humanrightswatch, @nowthisimpact, @feminist, my friend @legalmiga (she's smart and an actual attorney), not because I have it all figured out, but because I'm trying to stay conscious in a moment that's asking a lot of all of us.

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​The world needs us conscious. Not comfortable.​
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RESOURCES:

Know Your Rights: → ACLU Know Your Rights (save their phone lockscreen graphics)

Find Legal Help by State: → Immigration Advocates Network​

Mental Health + Legal Aid Hub: → Informed Immigrant​

👉🏽 If ICE comes to your door:

You have the right to remain silent

You do NOT have to open your door

Ask for a JUDICIAL warrant (administrative warrants are not the same)

You can refuse searches

You can record in public

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Are we aligned? Hit reply and let me know.

Stay safe. Take good care.

Until the next letter,
Vanessa

P.S. Therapy in times like this is an incredibly valuable tool and I understand that for some therapy feels like a privilege. I recently discovered @therapyjeff and I've been enjoying his honest and human-centered content.

These letters are for women who refuse to erase themselves on the way to success.

Welcome to the syndicate.