When Harm Becomes Normal

What History Teaches Us and What We Can Do Now

Democracies like ours don’t suddenly collapse into cruelty. They slide there, step by step, through normalization, legal framing, and public exhaustion. Looking at historical comparisons is useful not because it repeats exactly, but because people under pressure and influence tend to behave in predictable ways.

Why some Germans went along with the Nazis

When we imagine Nazi Germany, it’s tempting to picture a country full of fanatics. That story is comforting because it lets us believe we would have been different. The truth is harder.

Many Germans who supported, tolerated, or stayed silent under the Nazi regime were not committed ideologues. They were ordinary people living through economic collapse, political chaos, and intense social pressure.

Antisemitism already existed long before Hitler came to power. Jews had been portrayed for centuries as outsiders or scapegoats in much of Europe. The Nazis didn’t invent these beliefs. They amplified them and wrapped them in state authority.

Just as importantly, persecution didn’t begin with deportations or camps. It began with laws. Jewish businesses were boycotted. Jewish professionals were removed from jobs. Jewish children were pushed out of schools. Each step was presented as legal, orderly, and necessary. By the time Jewish families began disappearing entirely, many Germans had already accepted the idea that Jews no longer fully belonged.

Another critical factor was belief in limited harm. Many people genuinely believed Jewish people were being relocated, imprisoned, or sent to work camps. The full scale of mass murder was hidden. This allowed people to tell themselves that what was happening was unfortunate but not catastrophic.

Fear and conformity also mattered. Speaking out was dangerous. Silence felt safer. Over time, silence became habit, and habit began to look like consent.

History shows us something uncomfortable here. Large scale injustice does not require everyone to be evil. It requires enough prejudice, enough fear, and enough people willing to look away.

Comparison to what is happening in the United States now

Comparisons make people nervous, and that’s fair. But comparing mechanisms is not the same as equating outcomes. We are watching some of the same social dynamics unfold but that doesn't mean we have to go down the same path.

Many Americans hold negative views about undocumented immigrants without seeing themselves as extreme or cruel. You don’t have to believe in anything like a “master race” to believe that immigrants are criminals, or that they are “taking resources,” or that enforcement is simply common sense.

Immigration enforcement is also framed very carefully as law enforcement. Detention and deportation are presented as administrative necessities rather than moral choices. When harm is framed as paperwork, it becomes easier to accept.

Distance plays a role too. Many people assume that deported individuals will be fine wherever they are sent. They may not realize that some people are deported to countries they’ve never lived in, where they don’t speak the language, have no family, and face real danger.

And then there is desensitization. Stories of detention centers, family separation, and deportation flights are no longer shocking headlines. They are background noise. When something becomes routine, it becomes easier to tolerate.

Still, there are important differences. We still have courts. We still have free media. We still have elections and the right to protest. Those differences are real and meaningful.

But those tools only matter if people use them, and we must fight against authoritarian takeover of these protections.

How those with authority can fight

When federal leadership and agencies are aligned and refuse to check executive power, waiting for Congress alone is not enough. Real pressure moves upward from below.

One of the most effective tools is legal defense. Representation changes outcomes, and delay saves lives. Every court filing slows a system that depends on speed and silence.

In Arizona, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project provides free legal services to people in detention. https://firrp.org

Transparency is another pressure point. Systems that operate in the dark are more likely to abuse power. Oversight hearings, public records requests, and investigative reporting all matter.

There is also lawful noncooperation. This does not mean breaking the law. It means refusing to assist harm when assistance is optional. Teachers, clergy, medical professionals, neighbors, and local officials all have moments where they can choose not to help enforcement.

Finally, mutual aid fills the gaps institutions leave behind. Housing, bond funds, childcare, transportation, and rapid response networks don’t fix policy, but they reduce isolation and buy time.

But institutions are not the only places where resistance lives. Much of it happens quietly, in ordinary lives, far from the spotlight.

What ordinary citizens can do

Most people reading this do not have power over immigration policy. They don’t control budgets, write laws, or run agencies. That does not mean they are powerless. History shows that harm accelerates when ordinary people disengage, and it slows when enough people quietly refuse to normalize it.

The most important thing ordinary people can do is stay engaged and informed, even when it’s uncomfortable. Knowing what ICE can and cannot legally do changes outcomes, especially during home visits, traffic stops, or workplace encounters. Sharing clear, accurate rights information can protect someone long before a lawyer is involved.

ACLU “Know Your Rights” resources https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights

National Immigration Law Center rights guides https://www.nilc.org/issues/immigration-enforcement/know-your-rights/

Supporting legal defense is another high impact action. Legal representation is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone can stay with their family. Even modest donations help slow a system that depends on speed and isolation.

Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project https://firrp.org

Ordinary people can also help create accountability. Detention abuse often becomes visible only when complaints and documentation accumulate. Reporting patterns of neglect, medical issues, or dangerous conditions helps lawyers, watchdog groups, and journalists intervene.

ICE detention complaints https://www.ice.gov/detention-complaints

DHS Office of Inspector General hotline https://www.oig.dhs.gov/hotline

Finally, ordinary people matter in everyday culture. Refusing to repeat dehumanizing language, questioning misinformation when it circulates, and continuing to see immigrants as individuals rather than abstractions all slow normalization. Authoritarian systems rely on people becoming numb. Staying human is not passive. It is resistance.

You do not need authority to matter. You need consistency.

Arizona-specific resources

Arizona plays a major role in immigration enforcement, which means local action here matters more than many people realize.

The ICE Phoenix Field Office oversees enforcement operations in the region. https://www.ice.gov/contact/field-offices/phoenix

Arizona also has multiple detention facilities. https://www.ice.gov/detain/detention-facilities/arizona

There are strong, established organizations in Arizona doing critical work.

Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project https://firrp.org

Puente Arizona https://puenteaz.org

Aliento AZ https://alientoaz.org

Phoenix Legal Action Network https://planphx.org

Organized Solidarity Collective https://www.organizedsolidarity.org/home

ACLU of Arizona immigrant rights resources https://www.acluaz.org/immigrants-rights

Local pressure is especially important at the county and city level. Maricopa County controls jail cooperation, contracts, and access. City councils and county boards can limit voluntary cooperation and demand transparency.

Detention conditions also deserve special attention here. Arizona heat is not abstract. It is a life safety issue, especially inside locked facilities. Medical neglect and isolation must be treated as emergencies, not politics.

Future laws to prevent recurrence

Even if leadership changes, the system itself needs guardrails so this doesn’t happen again.

Some key goals include:

• Universal legal representation for people in immigration removal proceedings.

• Legally enforceable detention standards, not voluntary guidelines, with real penalties for violations.

• Independent oversight offices with subpoena power and protection from political interference.

• Clear limits on detention and strict safeguards against deportation to countries where someone has no ties or faces serious danger.

• Mandatory public reporting on detention, transfers, deaths, and use of isolation.

These are not radical ideas. They are basic human rights protections.

What to do if someone you love is taken by ICE

If someone is detained, the first hours matter. Gather as much information as you can right away, including Full legal name, date of birth, country of birth, and any immigration documents; If possible, their A Number.

Use the ICE detainee locator to find where they are being held. https://locator.ice.gov

Contact legal help immediately.

Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project https://firrp.org

National directory of immigration legal providers https://www.immigrationadvocates.org

If conditions are dangerous or abusive, call the national detention hotline. https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-hotline

Document everything. Dates, times, transfers, medical needs, and facility names. Documentation becomes evidence.

A final thought

The most dangerous moment in history is not when harm begins. It is when harm becomes normal. The United States still has time, tools, and choices. But none of them work automatically.

They only work if people decide that what is happening is unacceptable, and act accordingly.