This is how #TheResistance grows. Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts just quit his job at the Montana Department of Labor in protest of Trump policies that would force him to cooperate with ICE and “aid in breaking up families.”
The last straw came when he was asked to help prepare information on Montana workers that might ultimately result in deportations in response to ICE subpoenas.
He told his story on Twitter and instantly went viral.
It would have been my responsibility to prepare the information and hand them off to ICE.
I refuse to aid in the breaking up of families. I refuse to just “follow orders.”
This isn’t an easy decision as it puts me in a delicate financial position.
— Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts (@dyrbert) February 8, 2018
People have asked why am I doing this if I have a child.
I’m doing this because I have a child.
I want to be able to look my child in eye.
— Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts (@dyrbert) February 8, 2018
Dyrdahl-Roberts said he called his wife before he made the decision and that despite the precarious financial situation it would put them in, she agreed.
There are people who “support my decision” but seem disinclined to do much else. It’s frustrating.
I’ve been asking, “when do we riot,” but increasingly it seems to be that the answer is never.
— Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts (@dyrbert) February 8, 2018
Probably would help if I posted the link, huh?https://t.co/xuP8ZxJuvn
I may be slightly emotional right now.
— Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts (@dyrbert) February 8, 2018
Hey everyone,
You’ve helped us more than enough. We will now be okay while we look for jobs.
If you’re still feeling generous consider sending money Flint or Puerto Rico.
You could also check out #DisabilityWishlists or #ShowUpForWishes.
— Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts (@dyrbert) February 8, 2018
Dyrdahl-Roberts received enough support via PayPal to help his family while he seeks a new job. The Montana Department of Labor reported that it was willing to help him find a new position that wouldn’t compromise his ethics.
This comes on the heels of widespread criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. ICE has been ramping up efforts, conducting raids and executing deportations of people who have lived in this country for decades in some cases, breaking up families and sending people back to countries they’ve never known.
Dyrdahl-Roberts isn’t an immigrant himself, nor does he come from a family of immigrants. He simply said he empathized with the suffering of others and couldn’t be complicit in ICE efforts to increase it.
