The knock came at sunrise. A father, a legal resident for over twenty years, kissed his kids goodbye, grabbed his lunch pail, and headed to work. Ten minutes later, he was face down in a parking lot, zip-tied, hooded, and dragged away in an unmarked SUV.
No warrant. No charges. No phone call. A violation of the 5th amendment and the promise of due process.
His wife had to explain to their kids that Daddy wouldn’t be coming home that night, or maybe not at all.
And he’s not the only one.
California Is Under Siege
Since May 2025, neighborhoods across California, predominantly Latino working-class communities, such as Bell, Downey, Huntington Park, and Fresno, have been living in fear. ICE raids have become increasingly frequent, transforming from rare events into daily occurrences. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated.
Armed, masked “agents” in tactical gear have been storming swap meets, day laborer lots, churches, and even schools. They’re not serving warrants. They’re not targeting dangerous fugitives. They’re detaining people for how they look, where they work, or the language they speak.
According to lawsuits filed in June and July, ICE teams have violated constitutional protections again and again: no warrants, no legal representation, no due process. U.S. citizens have been detained. Families have been separated. Children have gone to bed without knowing if their parents are still alive.
This isn’t immigration enforcement! This is state-sponsored intimidation!
Meanwhile, in Florida, a “Concentration Camp” in the Swamp
They call it Alligator Alcatraz. Built at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport deep in the Florida Everglades, it’s a new detention center surrounded by natural barriers: swamps, alligators, and pythons.
The facility was fast-tracked by the Trump administration to house thousands of migrants, mostly men, under the banner of “expedited deportation.” It’s operated with National Guard oversight, tents, razor wire, and no meaningful oversight. Civil rights groups have called it “a humanitarian disaster waiting to happen.”
And when Trump toured the site, he joked “If they want to escape, they better outrun the gators.”
Some say that’s leadership, but we have to be honest with ourselves: that’s cruelty marketed as patriotism.
And Where Are the Masons? More Specifically, Where Are the California Masons?
Through all of this, the Grand Lodge of California has remained entirely silent.
No statement condemning unconstitutional raids.
There are no words of comfort for families torn apart.
No action was taken to live up to the tenets of Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth.
Even more disappointing, Grand Master Art Salazar, a man of Mexican heritage, has had nothing to say as his community is being ripped apart! His silence matters, and it speaks volumes.
We don’t expect political grandstanding. But we do expect moral clarity. We expect leadership. We wish him to say something when people in his own backyard are being taken in daylight and when a federal detention camp surrounded by alligators becomes a symbol of how little we value the lives of immigrants.
Worshipful Brother Salazar, your silence is not neutral.
You filled my heart with pride when you presented your Illumination Series Lecture on Quetzalcoatl, and again when you were the first Grand Master of Mexican descent for the Grand Lodge of California.
But you broke my heart when you didn’t leverage your platform and voice to let the communities know that what was happening is not something that is treated as “out of sight, out of mind”.
This Isn’t About Politics, It’s About People.
What’s happening in California, and other states with predominantly Hispanic communities, and the latest development in Florida right now is not a political issue; it’s not just a humanitarian crisis, it’s a moral one. We tout morality in the lodge, but where is it put into action?
We are watching due process get dismantled in real-time. We are watching entire communities be terrorized while men who swore an oath to justice and truth say nothing.
We recite the Pledge of Allegiance before every stated meeting, every family dinner, and every time we get together. This is not the America our forefathers and fellow Brethren built.
Brothers, as Masons, we are deeply connected to our communities. If your heart aches reading this, good. It means you still feel. It means you still care. But caring isn’t enough. It’s time to act.
We need to call on Grand Master Art Salazar to speak. Not next month. Not after the dust settles. Now. We, as Masons, need to demand leadership from the Grand Lodge.
We need to demand that the Grand Lodge of California take a public stand not just for the sake of optics but because it’s the right thing to do. Because silence in the face of injustice isn’t neutrality. It’s complicity.
And we, as Masons, are better than that… or is it just a façade? An excuse to leave the family at home, put on a tux, eat bland food with old men, and pretend we’re “building better men” when all we are really doing is collecting dues?
We need to act as a united front, leveraging our collective strength to make a difference. Or at least to let the communities we claim to support know we are with them.
If your lodge hall sits empty, open it to those organizing legal clinics or sanctuary efforts.
If you have a voice in your community, use it.
If you have a platform, raise it.
Start conversations in your lodge, Challenge apathy, Ask the hard questions, and most importantly, practice what you preach about Brotherly love (all mankind), Truth, and Relief (it’s not just for active dues-card holding members, but for our community)
Because someday, someone will ask what you did during this time
When families were ripped apart,
When the Constitution was trampled,
When people were thrown into swamps and told to survive the alligators.
And you should be able to say: “I didn’t stay silent. I stood up for my community, my fellow man, and my country.”
So rise, Brethren, find your voice, speak your truth, and show the world what you stand for when it matters.
Fraternally,
T.W.
