Henry Flores ● Detention or Concentracíon ● Our Voices/Nuestras Voces

 

Detention or Concentracíon

Henry Flores, PhD

voiceofthemainland.blogspot.com/voces-index

The concentracíon (concentration camp system) was pioneered by the United States during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902 with the latest iteration being Guantánamo in Cuba.  In between, Great Britain used them in South Africa and Northern Ireland; Hitler used them during the 1930s through 1945; Franco used them in Spain; and the French used them in Algeria and Southeast Asia. Under the direction of President Trump there has been an expansion of the detention center system into a larger network of camps, substantially larger than needed to detain captured immigrants. Initially the reason for the detention centers was to hold immigrants awaiting their immigration status, mostly refugees running from political, violent, or economic hardships in their native lands.  When President Obama left office there were an estimated 600 detainees in the various camps, during the first year and a half of the second Trump presidency this has increased to more than 70,000.

At one point Stephen Miller (Ratsputin) ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to apprehend 100,000 immigrants daily.  Even if this were possible there is not the space to hold the 11 million undocumented persons living in the United States.  Regardless, the administration has embarked on a vigorous campaign to build and/or acquire enough warehouses and camps to hold more than 600,000 individuals; the masked agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spread out across the nation, terrorizing immigrants and cities governed by Democratic or liberal governments.  Many of these facilities are located close to large urban, politically liberal areas, some inside the cities themselves such as San Antonio, Texas.

A former DHS staffer who resigned over this program, Miles Taylor, noted in several interviews that the plan was to have greater capacity than the federal prison system adding “But there is a bigger concern…it’s not hyperbole, …, if DHS has a detention capacity to rival the entire federal prison system, a lot scarier things can happen.”  Indeed, “scarier things” can and will happen. 

My suspicion is based on a history of presidential behavior toward those who criticize their policies or persona.  President Nixon constructed his “enemies list” with the explicit intention of “using the political machinery of government to screw our political enemies.” Nixon was forced to resign before he could begin the revenge process.  President Reagan’s Attorney General, Edwin Meese, concocted a plan to intern all activists, yours truly made the list, who protested the planned military invasion of Nicaragua.  Of course, this blew up because of the Iran-Contra Scandal that resulted in several bills of impeachment launched against the president in Congress.

After some contemplation, I began to connect the dots and realized, given Trump’s continued threats of not leaving office and acting like a Roman Emperor, that there were other motives for expanding the immigration detention system.  Those conservatives such as the late Justice Alito and the current Chief Justice who believed in a “unitary executive” structure of governance did not realize the implications if the wrong person ascended to the presidency.  Well, he did.  Donald Trump one of the meanest, most vile, immoral (amoral), narcissistic and vengeful individual who has served as president came along and is slowly dismantling the government and our international reputation.

The president has made a major focus of his administration to “punish” those in both parties who criticize or disagree with him.  Some of his perceived enemies include former president Obama, Nacy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel.  Trump and some of his minions have tried to control the media because he feels that they treat him “unfairly.”  So, one of his buddies bought control of CBS and threatens CNN.  Trump has defunded the National Public Broadcasting (PBS) network and cut funds or threatened to do so to what he calls sanctuary cities.  Topping everything else he has created his own Gestapo by expanding ICE, masking them and then arresting, detaining and killing immigrants and protesters, stopping anyone suspicious appearing or sounding on the streets and entering homes with questionable warrants and no probable cause.

I think that Mr. Taylor hit the nail on the head, if we are not already a police state, we are quickly approaching that status and concentracíon is an important part of that state.