The Trump administration reportedly plans to mobilize up to 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states in the coming weeks to support its immigration and anti-crime crackdowns, a dramatic expansion of the controversial operation that’s seen federal agents and Guard troops carrying out activities across Washington, D.C.
The troops, who will largely be activated across Republican-controlled states, will serve in support of the administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, as well as other law enforcement priorities, according to comment from unnamed Pentagon officials and documents obtained by Fox News.
So who else is convinced the only possible decent future for yourself and your family is to leave the US? I hate myself for even being capable of considering that option, but really, what can I do to change the course of history? Can I change the course for my family?
I left many years ago, before Trump was anything but a bad joke on reality TV. I have no regrets. If your vote is suppressed, vote with your feet. It’s also OK to stay and fight, but not everyone is in a position to do that.
My partner and I left the first chance we could. No regrets. In addition to our own personal safety (queer, trans, PoC, immigrant), life is just so much more enjoyable outside the US. Even if you disregard the Nazi takeover, the country is like 50 years behind any other developed nation. There’s no public transit, there’s no health care, education is dead, the food and water are slowly poisoning everyone, and half the country is violently opposed to behaving as a society.
I know it’s not a realistic option for everyone but for anyone who might have the means but is on the fence about it, it’s worth it. The other side really is greener. The easiest paths out are through work, education, or family
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m glad it’s working out well for you. And you’re right, regardless of the fascism going on right now, america is not a “developed” nation. It’s 5 corporations in a trench coat shaking down the rest of us every single day and its been that way for quite a while. Got any tips or things you wish someone would have told you before you moved?
Moving internationally is fucking difficult
It helps to have a mailing address in the country, ideally one that isn’t a PO Box. If you know someone, you might be able to use theirs, otherwise look at services like UPS.
Get rid of as much as you can before moving. My partner and I went through everything we had and got rid of about half. Shipping is expensive. I also imported my car which was a whole bucket of bureaucracy.
A storage unit is handy to have before you have an apartment
If the place has universal health care as any developed nation should, you probably won’t be able to get on it right away. You’ll need insurance in the meantime. Thankfully insurance isn’t always as bad of a scam as it is in the states.
You’re basically reestablishing your life from scratch while slowly shutting down a past life. You’ll need to transfer your finances over, shut down utilities, etc. The first 6 months after leaving are going to be difficult and you will be stressed out of your mind. Be kind to yourself.
I’ve left the US three times to live elsewhere, the shortest of the three stays abroad was five years.
Mailing address: agreed. But a PO box won’t work for some things, so find someone you can trust who’ll let you send mail to their address.
Bank accounts are tricky to establish quickly, but you won’t be able to do a lot of basic things like get utilities turned on or rent a flat without a local bank account. Even then, your credit rating’s going to suck for a while.
Don’t bring anything except irreplaceable items with sentimental value. Computers will generally work OK. I’d never think of bringing a car. Sell it. Sell everything you can. Give what you can’t sell away. Storage costs are a drain. Extra cash is more helpful.
Expect hassles and absurd expense getting car insurance since you won’t have a driving record in your new host country. At some point, you’ll need a host-country driver’s license and that can also be a pain in the ass. But on one occasion, I lived in a big city with good transit and didn’t need a car for the first 6 years of my stay.
Similarly, many countries are parochial about qualifications and work experience, and don’t have a clue about your education or experience in the US and whether you’re lying about it or not. You’ll have to prove yourself all over again.
Arrange accommodation at your new place before your shipment is scheduled to arrive. Shipping can take a few weeks. We did an LCL (less than container load) palletized move. We got a freight expediter to palletize it and to handle all the paperwork. It wasn’t crazy expensive, 3/4 of a ton of stuff was about $400. I knew someone who knew someone in the business, that helped. The shipment came into a major port, I hired a van to pick it up, brought a brawny son along, drove there, signed some forms, busted up the palletized load into the van and drove it back home. The whole pick-up process took most of a day.
Heath arrangements vary a lot by country so I won’t comment on them much. Getting insurance as a “bridge” is also necessary if you’re let in on a short-term visa pending their granting you permanent residency. You also have to avoid getting entangled with the justice system during that period, even minor crimes can disqualify you.
Live like the locals, not like an American. Swimming against the current is exhausting, and you’ll soon find out that the thing you thought was essential for you to to live wasn’t actually worth having. I’ve got a smaller house than I had in the US, I drive a smaller car (and drive a lot less than I did in the States), and my fridge is smaller than I am. But my greengrocer’s a 5-minute walk from my house, so I don’t need to have a month’s worth of food in the fridge.
Once you’ve bootstrapped in the new place, take a vacation, enjoy the new environment. Don’t forget who you are, but keep moving forward.
Thank you so much. I will keep these things in mind. I’ve never even left the country (due to the majority of my life being lived in poverty), so any tips help. My first step will be to actually visit the country I want to move to and to try to find some sort of advisor(?) in the new country who could guide me on things I could set up prior to moving.
Yes definitely take an exploratory trip first. It’s common for border/immigration to ask if you had been there before anyways. Hit up some bars and try to make a friend or two
I’m trapped here dawg. No way out because I don’t have the family, nor education, nor job to get out. I’m going to fight in Civil War 2….I guess.
I am slowly killing myself so I do not have to live through all this shit for any longer than I have to. Doctor says I should take statins for hardening arteries, but a heart attack sounds like the best option right now. This whole place is so fucked, and I am trapped here.
Take the statins if you can tolerate them. This shit won’t last forever. When they go down, it’ll happen fast.
You know, you are the only one that has made a sensible point. I think I will take your advice, or at least heavily consider it. We’ll see how resilient Canada and Europe are in the next 3 months. They will not go down if all the other countries are infested with greedy parasites too.
I get it
Thank you for your service
For what it is worth, I have been practicing my long arm. I figure that the antifa states will need soldiers, so I should volunteer to be on the line. Here’s hoping our efforts allow us to live in a better America. 🖖
For the next probably 5 to 10 years it’s a forgone conclusion. If you just look at the probability of what could happen it would really be an outside chance that things just get better at the next election cycle. Shit had been going downhill for 12 years. Which party gets in just determines how fast we’re pumping the gas.
I would bet it will turn the corner around 2042
So often you hear the story about just the clothes on their backs and thats because that was where its at at that point. Until other countries recognized americans as refugees I don’t many will be able to do this.
What are the best options as far as countries to move to?