The author, a former political prisoner from Egypt, details the harrowing experience of living in fear of deportation in the US after seeing a fellow student arrested. Following Mahmoud Khalil's abduction by ICE, the author entered a month-long self-imposed lockdown, fearing a similar fate due to their political background and a revoked visa. Reflecting on their past prison experience, they describe the psychological toll of living in constant vigilance against state violence and recognizing the pervasive impact of authoritarianism on daily life.
The hallmark of authoritarianism isn't the knock at the door—it's life under the constant fear of its arrival.
I knew to expect the worst... my lawyers gently but unequivocally told me that the question had likely become no longer if I would be arrested but when.
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