If you’ve felt like things have been a little more… fashy… lately, it’s because they have. From international gunboat “diplomacy” in the illegal kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro and claiming of Venezuela’s oil, to the outright occupation by federal secret police in Minneapolis, things are legitimately scary right now.
So sorry to be a bummer and reinforce that, but we NEED to document just how overt some of these actions are. We’ll try and end on a strong note of hope… or at least action.
The Gathering Storm: White Nationalism in Government
In the last couple weeks, there’s been some pretty overt White Nationalist propaganda, as well as, clear signals to historical fascism of different periods. Either way, the “bat signal” to Trump’s base has never been more clear.
The official Department of Homeland Security social channels shared an image with the words “We’ll have our home again” overlaid by a song of the same name, produced by a white nationalist group, in an effort to recruit ICE officers. This wasn’t the first time DHS has used a well documented image or slogan from White Nationalist spaces either. You can read more about ongoing documentation in this great article from The Southern Poverty Law Center.
This isn’t an isolated incident, it’s a symptom of the deeper authoritarian turn in American politics. Trump’s Labor Department also posted another, different-and-yet-similar signal in the vein of overt White Nationalism recently: “One homeland, one people, one heritage. Remember who you are, American.” If you’re unfamiliar, that phrase immediately made scholars of early 20th century German history raise their eyebrows because of its similarity to this slogan: “Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer”— that is, “One people, one empire, one leader.”So, yeah… it’s getting pretty fashy out there.
As the Trump administration continues its Project 2025 plan to dismantle democratic institutions, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem represents the vanguard of this shift, testing how far authoritarian tactics can go from within the government itself.
The Kristi Noem-Trump Axis: Authoritarianism from Within
Noem’s tenure as the head of the US’s burgeoning secret police has not only showcased Trump regime’s cruelty, but has actively intensified and expanded in its scope. In New Mexico, we’ve documented dozens of ICE raids and increased militarization around our border regions, but seeing similar and more harrowing scenes from across the country has been staggering.
Nothing really captures the unveiling of this administration’s commitment to White-centered fascism than Noem installing her secret police in Minneapolis after the murder of Nicole Renee Good.. Noem stood behind a podium that bore the message “One of Ours, All of Yours.” Another oblique message from the deep cuts album of fascism. While this message has been bandied about online as a “nazi” quote, the reality is that it’s better understood as a message from Franco’s Christo-fascist takeover of Spain, with the message clearly understood to mean that the value of one Christian Fascist is more than anyone who opposes them.
Noem’s appointment and use of overt fascist language in professional settings (really any settings, let’s be real) and the white nationalist recruitment in ICE are two sides of the same coin. Both represent the infiltration of extremist ideology into positions of power over immigration and border policy. Both signal a willingness to treat vulnerable populations as less than human, as political props or racial threats, rather than as people deserving of dignity and rights.
New Mexico’s Unique Position in This Fight
New Mexico sits at the epicenter of these converging threats. As a border state with deep multicultural traditions, we’ve borne witness to the violence of immigration policy enforcement. In a state with a majority of people of color, we represent the demographic future that white nationalist groups explicitly fear. And as home to multiple sovereign tribal nations, we understand the dangers of centralized authoritarian power better than most.
The white nationalist flyers at the ICE facility in El Paso specifically mention defending “our father’s fathers land” – a direct attack on New Mexico’s reality, where Hispanic and Native communities can trace their ancestry on this land back centuries before the United States existed. This isn’t an abstract ideology; it’s a direct challenge to our state’s identity, and now the person overseeing immigration enforcement as Homeland Security Secretary has shown authoritarian tendencies.
What we’ve done so far, and what else we can do
Thankfully at the national level we’ve seen some pushback to Noem and Trump’s cruelty already starting to gain traction. New Mexico’s congressional delegation all signed onto a bill to impeach Noem, which has growing support despite the political minority facing Democrats. Here at home we expect the Legislature to move forward with further divestment from prisons and institutions used by ICE and other arms of the federal government to detain migrants; or terrifyingly at this point, dissidents of any stripe. These are just two of the small things we’ve done that could have major impacts for our communities.
But there’s more we could be doing as a state and some hard truths we need to face in how we expect our leaders to respond. We can’t, for instance, continue to give members of our federal delegation a pass for funding and thanking ICE and Border Patrol while simply calling on their figurehead leaders to step down. We can’t reconcile the militarization of our own communities by the National Guard or local police while we watch what happens to communities across the country facing similar militarization. And we can’t waste opportunities like our current legislative session to openly denounce the hatred and overt calls for White Christian Nationalism that we KNOW we’ll hear from usual suspects like Representatives. Gail Armstrong, John Block, Rebecca Dow, Stephanie Lord, Rod Montoya, and Elaine Sena Cortez, or Senators Jay Block, Craig Brandt, Crystal Brantley, Bill Sharer, Ant Thornton, Jim Townsend, and Pat Woods. Every single one of those listed has multiple documented cases of using racist dog whistles in the past at the least while some like John Block actively participated in the insurrection on January 6 2021. It’s not a matter of partisan politics anymore, but a line in the sand wherein we protect our past, present, and future in real and deliberate ways.
The Four Pillars of New Mexico’s Resistance
1. Exposing the Links Between Political Appointments and White Supremacist Action. The SPLC article shows that white nationalist groups see the current political climate as “ripe for recruitment.” New Mexico must lead in exposing how:
- Placing someone like Secretary Noem in charge of Homeland Security emboldens white nationalist recruitment within agencies like ICE
- Authoritarian tactics normalized by political leaders create fertile ground for extremist infiltration
- The “great replacement” conspiracy theory underpins both political appointments and extremist recruitment
2. Protecting Our Institutions from Top-Down Extremism
The ICE recruitment effort combined with Secretary Noem’s appointment shows that authoritarians seek to control institutions from both within and above. New Mexico must:
- Strengthen oversight of federal agencies operating in our state, particularly under leadership with authoritarian tendencies.
- Develop state-level safeguards against discriminatory enforcement by federal agencies.
- Create sanctuary protections for vulnerable communities facing increasingly hostile federal policies.
3. Building Community Power Against Federal Overreach
White nationalist groups target what they see as “defenseless” communities. With Secretary Noem now overseeing agencies that could target these communities, New Mexico’s response must be:
- Legal empowerment: Dramatically expanding access to counsel for immigrants and marginalized communities facing federal enforcement. We can do that RIGHT NOW during the Legislative session.
- Community defense networks: Training in know-your-rights, documentation of abuses, and rapid response systems.
- Political power: Ensuring our congressional delegation’s stand against Secretary Noem is backed by grassroots organizing and state-level policy.
4. Offering a Positive Vision of Multiracial Democracy
The white nationalist vision is fundamentally nostalgic and exclusionary. New Mexico must counter with:
- Celebrating our living multiculturalism as strength, not weakness—particularly as an antidote to homogenizing federal policies.
- Investing in shared prosperity that crosses racial lines and counters divisive rhetoric.
- Protecting cultural preservation as an act of resistance against authoritarian uniformity.
Things feel, and are, scary right now. As a state and community we must not cede our power or give in to threats and harassment from those seeking to erase use. And, the reality is, there is still so much we can do.