This week, a group of Americans fleeing escalating violence in Israel landed in Tampa on flights coordinated by Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based nonprofit founded by U.S. veterans to bring citizens home from war zones. The group’s effort — heroic by any measure — was covered in a local news story that quickly made its way to Facebook.
Then came the comments.
“Call ICE.”
“Send them back.”
“Why are we rescuing them?”
The article clearly stated that the evacuees were American citizens. The headline didn’t. And that didn’t stop the flood of suspicion — a wave of vitriol aimed at people who, by all legal definitions, belong here. Among the hate, a few lone commenters pushed back: They’re U.S. citizens. Did you even read the story?
This backlash isn’t happening in a vacuum. It comes amid a noticeable uptick in ICE raids across the country, not just targeting undocumented immigrants but sweeping up legal residents, asylum seekers and, in some cases, naturalized citizens caught in the crosshairs of suspicion. The climate is charged, and it’s making it easier for some to cast doubt on anyone who doesn’t “look American enough.”
The problem isn’t just a misunderstanding of immigration law. It’s a symptom of a broader cultural shift — one where fear trumps facts, and belonging is decided by the comment section.
Grey Bull’s mission is to “rescue Americans and allies from conflict and disaster zones.” What followed in those comments was something else entirely: a reflection of a nation increasingly eager to question who deserves safety, and who gets treated like a threat, even when they’re coming home.