Content warning: This article contains mentions of xenophobia and violence.

News surrounding the US has consistently made headlines, marking 2026 with a chaotic start. Most of it revolves around conversations over the Epstein files, the capture of Nicholas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela, genocide against Palestinians, and the recent killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Opposing viewpoints on news from the US is unsurprising. Recently, however, the violence on our screens feels vivid, and the idea that faraway conflicts are worthy of condemnation has collapsed; the onslaught of disturbing news emerging from our neighbour needs to be confronted. 

As emotions, ideologies, and partisan loyalties collide trying to parse the realities of every new story, polarizing perspectives on events emerge. We must be active in our intellectual engagement with the events we learn about from social media. We must move past our assumptions about what things mean by seeking to educate ourselves on current global violence, which may dictate how world events affect us here in Canada. 

In North America, fears of authoritarianism or war can seem like a paranoid response to hearing about such issues happening elsewhere. However, these days it seems like people in positions of global power have gone too far.  

One example: the Trump Administration has repeatedly evaded the checks and balances outlined constitutionally in several sweeping displays of power. The administration oversteps the authority of the executive powers by using “emergency powers” to impose tariffs on imports without consulting Congress. Now is the time to learn, to fervently acquire the knowledge of our power systems and international relations, to know in the truest sense of the word what is going on.

Resisting hate towards immigrants in Canada

The violence recently perpetrated by ICE feels uncomfortably close to home. President Trump repeats false claims about immigrants, justifying the mistreatment of migrants by alleging that they increase crime rates and make communities unsafe. 

Alex Pretti was the ninth person who died due to ICE. Since the start of the year, six people have died in their custody, and one other person was shot. Last year, 32 people died while in custody. What we aren’t seeing in the official response is accountability. Instead, public officials are trying to twist the narrative in their favour. Rather than condemning Pretti’s death, Vice President J.D. Vance alleged that Pretti was an assassin, and subsequently refused to apologize for the heinous comment. 

The hatred against immigrants has begun to feel painfully obscene. When citizens are caught in the crossfire, and public officials can’t even muster an apology, the entire narrative of why we need immigration seems to fall apart. Remind me, please, who is meant to benefit here? 

While we hurl criticism towards immigration policies and pick sides, a question arises: where do we, as Canadians, stand? 

I can’t help but think about the small yet visible disdain of immigrants emerging here. An anti-immigration rally was held in Downtown Toronto just a few months ago. While some may say that the protest was against the immigration system, the reality was that signs targeted people, reading “stop the invasion,” “fit in or fuck off,” and “we need some Canadian ICE.” 

I’d like to clarify here that I don’t mean to draw parallels between Canada and the US. We are not seeing the same levels of hatred or tendency for violence, here in Canada, that are currently making headlines in the US. I just wish to point out that hatred is present, and it might model itself after what is happening in the US, such as the calls for “Canadian ICE.” 

The question becomes, in the worst-case scenario, how do we prevent violence from mobilizing? When the ‘problem’ of immigration is put on an agenda for us to evaluate, how do we resist arguments that aim to make us sympathetic to the claims of those who perpetuate or support violence, such as what is being done by ICE and their supporters?

I believe that the answer is quite simple: self-education. 

Do we really know what the division of powers is in this country, as outlined by our Constitution? The leader of the Canada First Movement, Joe Anidjar, described the nationalist, conservative campaign as one that “seeks to defend the country’s Christian identity and culture.” Anidjar asserts that taxpayer money shouldn’t be going towards funding immigrants’ “livelihoods” and should go towards addressing homelessness. 

In the face of such perspectives, it’s imperative to identify that power over immigration is shared by the provincial and federal levels. Settlement services are under the Federal government, while homelessness is a municipal issue managed and funded primarily by the Provincial and Municipal levels, with little federal funding. 

You cannot protest a federal program and ask for better management of a provincial issue in the same breath — those are separate authorities. On the same note, you can’t scapegoat immigrants for money not being managed how you like. 

Fundamentally, we should not form opinions without understanding the structure of our system. No one is expected to have all of the facts memorized, but with every new issue and new claim, there must be a call to research before forming an opinion. We are overwhelmed by so much content that it makes researching the information we consume all the more essential. 

There is far too much going on in the world for us to ignore learning now. “Knowledge is power” may be an old cliché, but it is not an exaggeration. Now is the time to understand our systems so that we can protect the guardrails which prevent extremist thoughts from polarizing the world. 

Zainab Abdul is a second-year student studying English and creative writing.