Concerns about justice and safety for immigrants in the US and continued devastation in Gaza were key topics at a Nov. 22 gathering, “Trump Is Trouble,” at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas City, Mo. PeaceWorks convened this post-election connection event that 51 persons attended. A video of the program is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fBGwfj7Q74.
KKFI, 90.1 FM, may air the program at 7pm on The Forum, Tuesday, Dec. 10 (or a later Tuesday).
Forum speaker Judy Ancel, president of the Board of Cross Border Network in the KC area, zeroed in on Trump’s threat to deport up to 20 million undocumented workers. “Although I don’t know where he’s going to find them,” Ancel commented. Project 2025, presented in Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise, written by past and future Trump officials, threatens to get rid of temporary protected status. TPS, said Ancel, provides a work permit and protection from deportation to about 800,000 persons from 15 countries including El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Venezuela, several African countries, and Ukraine.
Trump “wants colleges and universities to refuse to give in-state tuition to undocumented students, or the schools will lose all their federal aid,” said Ancel. She focuses on threats to all immigrants “because everybody’s scared.” She explained, “A huge number of immigrant families have dual status, with some family members being asylees or permanent residents or citizens, and other family members being undocumented.”
Speaker Yaser Abu-Dagga, born in Gaza, a US resident for 33 years who lives in Iowa City, Iowa, spoke on behalf of Palestinians. “The UN describes the Gaza Strip as the world’s largest open-air prison,” said Abu-Dagga. When Israel was created in 1948, many people were sent to refugee camps in Gaza, which now has 2.2 million people in it, Abu-Dagga said. He added that his 16-year-old nephew there had lived through five major bombing campaigns by Israel before Oct. 7, 2023. Since that date, he said more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 100,000 injured.

“Part of the genocide is to destroy everything that can support life in Gaza,” said Abu-Dagga. “If people don’t die from the bombs, they will die from diseases, from hunger, from thirst.” A group he and others formed, the HOPE (Humanitarian Operations and Public Education) Foundation — www.hopefoundpal.org — is building water wells and a water distribution system, and has been providing food and even baby formula.
Mary Hladky, of the PeaceWorks Board, reflected that both Trump and Biden have supported genocide in Gaza, using US taxpayers’ dollars for the mass murder of Palestinian children, women, the disabled, and the elderly. Hladky said many people express concern that there will be continued unrest in the Middle East, with the potential of war with Iran, possibly nuclear war. “We need to face what’s in front of us and then resist,” she said. She quoted Sarah Kendzior: “Our power lies in refusing to abandon each other or abandon the truth.” Hladky added, “Let this meeting be the beginning of our resistance.”

Ancel said the Cross Border Network and other groups are forming a rapid response network in case Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) makes raids to arrest and deport immigrants. Ancel asked people to sign if they wished to help with rapid response by answering phone calls, connecting people with lawyers, taking care of family members, and donating to assist with legal costs.
In the follow-up discussion, Erica said, “I’m worried about what’s coming down the line for women, gays, all the other marginalized people.” Another participant said, “There are communities already being started for trans protection. Trans people are very high on the list of people who are in danger. The only way to build community is to stand up for each other, no matter what.”
Many attendees came from local groups such as the Penn Valley Quaker Meeting, American Friends Service Committee, Health Care Workers for Gaza, Citizens for Justice in the Middle East, the Sierra Club, and Friends of Community Media..