What does it mean to be a citizen of nowhere? The case of Jermaine Thomas, born to a Jamaican American U.S. citizen on an army base in Germany, exposes Black statelessness. After spending much of his life incarcerated and unhoused in Texas, Thomas has been deported - following a truly bizarre string of events.
It started with someone calling the police on his dog after Thomas was evicted. Cops arrested him for “suspected trespassing.” He was told he could spend eight months in jail before trial. Weeks later, Thomas signed paperwork for a conditional release. But instead of freedom, he was transferred to ICE detention camps. He called the Department of Homeland Security. Soon enough, he was deported to Jamaica, a place he's never been.
“If you’re in the U.S. Army...and you put your life on the line for this country," says Thomas, "are you going to be okay with them just kicking your child out?”
Meanwhile, President Trump's celebrating the Supreme Court's decision to limit federal judges from thwarting his attacks on birthright citizenship—seemingly moving the goalpost on the definition of "U.S. citizen."
But, as Black people, has our citizenship ever not been in question? Have we truly ever been the “us” in “us vs. them”? We can advocate for our legal citizenship, but if U.S. citizenship means stolen land, displacement, and enslavement, is it legitimate, aspirational, or even worth preserving?