I’ve been arrested before. It’s scary and humiliating. I know what it feels like.

What’s happening in Los Angeles is not that.

When you’re arrested, you are detained by a uniformed police officer with a badge (and hopefully a body-worn camera). You are informed of the charges against you and the reason for being detained. Your rights are read to you. You are asked several questions upon being detained, which are used for the paperwork documenting the scene/circumstances and your arrest. The police officer notifies the police force that (s)he’s “bringing you in.”

Upon arrival, your identity is confirmed, your picture taken, and more paperwork is filed. This paper trail is public access. It’s all very official, and in many ways tedious and mundane.

In Los Angeles, masked, unidentified men are detaining Americans. ICE personnel are not identifying themselves or answering questions. They appear to completely disregard procedure. People are literally being grabbed, handcuffed, forced into vehicles, and driven off to unknown locations. There are multiple videos taken by bystanders showing this. Current reporting like this has confirmed detainees face grim, inhumane conditions at holding facilities: a lack of food, water, sanitation and light.

I do not wish to fear monger.

But this is the antithesis of due process, a right guaranteed to all people, not just citizens. It is a violation of the U.S Constitution, specifically the Fourth and Fifth Amendments.

If we are to protect our Union, for all its flaws, we must do so now. I urge you to find the upcoming protests scheduled in your area and show yourself, to demand a change in policy and to proclaim your rights and the rights of all who live in this country.

Tomorrow I go to protest the actions of my government. I believe it is my duty as an American and as a father. I do not want my daughter to grow up in this country as it exists today.

To raise global consciousness, to unite humanity, and to inspire change… requires action. I will not stand by and do nothing.