By Gordon Mott
OCT 01, 2026
Deja Vu … All Over Again
Eighteen months of silence have been hard on me. Frustrated. Angry. Despairing. Did my silence begin because I was afraid? Yes. I’m not proud to admit it. But that is the truth. In the immediate aftermath of Inauguration Day 2025 and the cascade of anti-democratic and anti-constitutional rhetoric from the Trump Administration, especially public statements from officials at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and then Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), I was stopped in my writer’s tracks.
The triggering event explains the origin of my fears.
For context, I live in Mexico. In March 2025, I had been active on social media criticizing the early excesses of the Trump Administration. I was headed to the United States to visit family and friends when I was hit with a frightening realization: my writings could trigger a stop by CBP at Dallas immigration. There were already stories of naturalized citizens, outspoken critics of Trump, being questioned and detained on the streets of Boston or New York by ICE agents. Foreign tourists reported being questioned about their social media posts at immigration entry points. My immediate reaction was to call a lawyer friend in Texas to ask for the phone number of someone who could handle the situation if I was detained at the border. I was explicit. I wanted a number my wife could call if she turned around after passing through Global Entry and I wasn’t there behind her. I was suspicious enough to know that if I were stopped, it might not be given my one phone call. (It’s a terrifying fact inside the portals at CBP, you are without your fundamental legal rights, whether you are a citizen or not.) I got the lawyer’s contact, gave it to my wife, and we set off on our trip. I turned off facial recognition on my phone, and I decided not to travel with my laptop, which has the main copy of my second novel, which has a very political theme, and all my blogs.
Nothing happened at Global Entry. And nothing has happened since, during the 10 times I have crossed through immigration. At the time, however, after passing through immigration unscathed, I was struck immediately by the absurdity of my fears. I am a born and raised American from Lafayette, Ind. I have lived abroad for over a quarter of my life in Brazil, Mexico, France and now Mexico again but all the other 50-plus years in the United States. The thought that I, an American citizen, was worried about being interrogated by U.S. Government officials because of the things I wrote was disturbing and depressing. And frightening. I couldn’t help but ask: what has happened to my country?
I have been silent ever since. I have not blogged. I have delayed the publication of my second novel, 20/20. The most “egregious” criticisms I have posted on social media have been reposts of other commentators. Cowardly? Yes.There is a solution—start writing again and begin posting my opinions and thoughts.
Do the musings of a retired journalist and a one-time novelist who has lived abroad since 2014 matter? I doubt it, but I do believe a single drop in the pond still has ripples. Maybe my ripples will cause one person to question their position. Maybe one person will engage with me in a substantive debate, not one just filled with insults and slander. In the end, that could be important. One drop. One changed point of view. More importantly, I want to go on the record with my beliefs, to take a stand. I am reminded of my internal dialogue: how will I feel in the future if I haven’t spoken out now? What will I tell my new grandson in 20 years about what I did during the struggle to preserve American Democracy?
Honestly, I’m still worried about ending my silence and shedding my temporary cloak of anonymity. I still have to cross the U.S. border to see my loved ones. While I haven’t read disturbing stories about full citizens being harassed at border crossings, there is a daily firehose of insults from the 47th president of the United States attacking journalists and his critics. Bravo to the many courageous journalists and writers and political commentators who stand up to these vicious personal attacks. Thankfully it is a long list and it gives me hope and sustenance and courage.
The title of my new Substack column: Over the Wall. I will promote it here on my website — gordonmottauthor.com — Facebook, Linked In and Substack. For now, these posts are free but I would love to get your email for the future. I like to think the title suggests a perch, a privileged vantage from which I observe the world around me. Not all my posts will be political; many will be personal commentary about life in these times. Feel free to contact me or comment on my blogs through any of those sites. I will do my best to publish at least once a week, and since today is Oct. 1, I will be posting every week as regularly as possible.
