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He chose to leave his homeland and family as a young man for the proverbial better life in America. He believed wholeheartedly in the foundational values of freedom, justice and liberty for all.

Perhaps he wasn’t as well-versed in the details of our country’s darkest chapters. Maybe he hadn’t lived here long enough to repeatedly witness the ways in which his adopted country fell short of its highest ideals. Conceivably, he had not yet felt betrayed by the country’s leadership.

At any rate, his love for this country had made such a deep impression on me that I literally cried when I read the unvarnished history of America as a teenager. It taught me that the truest form of patriotism is embodied by those who have fought and sacrificed in the pursuit of freedom, justice and liberty for all.

Immigrants and their children have levels of patriotism that match or exceed those of native-born Americans, according to research by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. In its 2021 Immigration and Identity National Survey, it found that an overwhelming majority (80%) of immigrants say they feel grateful to be Americans.

“They say this despite being more likely to report experiences of being treated like an outsider,” the report stated. “For instance, first-generation immigrants are more likely than the third generation and higher to say that others frequently or occasionally presumed they were not American (51% vs. 10%), confused them for a store employee where they didn’t work (45% vs. 31%), called them racial slurs (39% vs. 20%), or made negative comments about the food they ate (40% vs. 20%).”

Many immigrants and their children can separate how they might be treated by fellow Americans from their faith in America’s institutions — such as courts that uphold the rule of law and the Constitution, a free press unafraid to call the powerful to account, and fair elections that represent the will of the people.

So, what should one do when institutions fail to protect the core tenets of democracy? When corporate media has cowered, the will of the people has been ignored or outright overturned, and your leaders’ actions resemble the authoritarian governments your parents fled?

So many things I never thought would happen in this country have now happened: a man convicted of multiple felonies and found guilty of sexual abuse elevated to the presidency, due process eliminated, mass purging of inspectors general and government watchdogs, aggressive consolidation of executive power, dismantling of civil service protections, decimation of federal agencies, suppression and criminalization of dissent, undermining and ignoring court orders, withholding billions in federally approved funds, disappearing people off the streets and erasing entire chapters of American history.

The hypocrisy of so many institutions and individuals has been laid bare for all to see.

These are dark and discouraging times for our republic.

While it’s tempting to try to simply ignore the constant onslaught of bad news, to disengage and try to survive as best as one can, that’s not what the true patriots are doing right now.

Look at the millions of people who have taken to the streets to protest the government’s authoritarian actions. Millions more are calling and writing representatives; others are deciding to run for office or registering to vote. Some are getting more involved in providing direct aid to the most vulnerable communities. I hear the voices of those consistently speaking out against the abuses of human rights perpetrated by the state.

When current institutions have failed, it’s time to build new ones. More news consumers are turning to independent or nonprofit sources; several long-form podcasts draw larger audiences than cable news shows; an upstart candidate, Zohran Mamdani, toppled a political dynasty in New York; and grassroots initiatives are focusing on local civic engagement.

This is what Americans have done throughout our history.

This is what love of one’s country looks like.