Thinking the unthinkable is part and parcel of the Trump era. Hardly surprising, then, to come across this flyer at the local library, stacked alongside all the other usual fare -- the free community papers, health programs, holiday parades, and so on. No comments not explanations needed, nor required. It's readily available online, but one more outlet surely can't hurt, right?
Especially when we consider one other important point. While the flounder-lipped Kristi Noem her oily boy toy, Corey Lewandowski, the Department of Homeland Security, and -- the infamous agency they ran like a medieval fiefdom, continues to go about its business. Gone are the horrific images of masked goons combing the streets for prey, egged on by their now-retired, green fatigue-clad henchman, Greg Bovino -- for the moment., at least.
The faces of the Trump regime's xenophobic crackdown efforts are off the radar, which doesn't hold true for their targets. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khlalil, one of countless innocents snatched off the streets, faces appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the price of avoiding rearrest.
Khalil's counterpart, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, won a major legal victory this weekend, after a federal judge tossed out human smuggling charges against him, on grounds of vindictive prosecution -- since he too is challenging the federal government's attempts to deport him. The feds, of course, are appealing the judge's action, which they're blasting as "naked judicial activism" -- an odd twist of phrase for the maximalist-minded master they serve, who openly flaunts his abuses of power at every turn.
The overall volume of arrests averages 900 to 1,000 per day nationwide, well short of the 3,000 figure so desired by Trump's key henchman, Stephen Miller -- but enough to underscore the regime's ongoing attempt to impose its will, however it can, wherever it can. About half occur in custodial situations -- inmates already sitting in local, state or federal lockups -- with the remainder spread out over at-large roundups, or immigration status check-ins at ICE field offices.
These trends point at the resolve of Noem's successor, Markwayne Mullin, to take ICE off the front pages, in favor of a lower-key, more targeted approach. It doesn't make him a candidate for sainthood. Neither does it suggest that Mulli's in danger of finding his softer, fluffier side -- let alone his cohort, David Venturella, the former GEO prison executive tapped as acting director of DHS's sister agency, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
Just what we need to restore public confidence, right? The face of a for-profit prison company, who also showered Trump's 2024 campaign with fountains of cash. Still, on that subject, one other piece of unfinished business is worth noting -- and that's the fate of ICE's plan to warehouse all its unfortunate fish, figuratively and literally, into massive holding pens, modeled along Amazon's lines.
The faces of the Trump regime's xenophobic crackdown efforts are off the radar, which doesn't hold true for their targets. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khlalil, one of countless innocents snatched off the streets, faces appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the price of avoiding rearrest.
Khalil's counterpart, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, won a major legal victory this weekend, after a federal judge tossed out human smuggling charges against him, on grounds of vindictive prosecution -- since he too is challenging the federal government's attempts to deport him. The feds, of course, are appealing the judge's action, which they're blasting as "naked judicial activism" -- an odd twist of phrase for the maximalist-minded master they serve, who openly flaunts his abuses of power at every turn.
The overall volume of arrests averages 900 to 1,000 per day nationwide, well short of the 3,000 figure so desired by Trump's key henchman, Stephen Miller -- but enough to underscore the regime's ongoing attempt to impose its will, however it can, wherever it can. About half occur in custodial situations -- inmates already sitting in local, state or federal lockups -- with the remainder spread out over at-large roundups, or immigration status check-ins at ICE field offices.
These trends point at the resolve of Noem's successor, Markwayne Mullin, to take ICE off the front pages, in favor of a lower-key, more targeted approach. It doesn't make him a candidate for sainthood. Neither does it suggest that Mulli's in danger of finding his softer, fluffier side -- let alone his cohort, David Venturella, the former GEO prison executive tapped as acting director of DHS's sister agency, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
Just what we need to restore public confidence, right? The face of a for-profit prison company, who also showered Trump's 2024 campaign with fountains of cash. Still, on that subject, one other piece of unfinished business is worth noting -- and that's the fate of ICE's plan to warehouse all its unfortunate fish, figuratively and literally, into massive holding pens, modeled along Amazon's lines.
But Noem's grand vision remains on hold, per Mullin's orders, as he works out what portions of it -- if any -- should go forward. That's because activists have found a potent new tool to slow the Trump regime's plans to rebrand communities into major deportation hubs, as the New York Times reports (see link below) -- the environmental review.
For example, a federal judge has blocked ICE's plans to retrofit a warehouse in Williamsport, MD, into a holding pen capable of housing 500 to 1,500 detainees. U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson held that ICE hadn't fully considered key requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) -- which mandates a closer look at the "potential environmental impact of significant federal actions," the Times reported.
If the possibility exists, however remotely, a more rigorous review is then required -- which typically takes months to complete. What seems like politically expedient red raw meat in 2026 may well give off a fouler odor, once the winds start blowing, whether this fall, or in 2028 -- as communities start pushing back, and force the cancellation or sidelining of such ghastly projects.
A judge in Michigan canceled a similar preliminary injunction that would have temporarily halted similar retrofitting plans for a warehouse in Romulus, Bloomberg Law reports. The lawsuit in that case alleges that one sewer line isn't nearly enough for 500 projected detainees, for a building that's sitting on top of a floodplain. Similar pushbacks are proceeding in Arizona and New Jersey, raising headaches that authorities might well have avoided, as Hurson stated, in his ruling:
“Had D.H.S. done so, it likely would have found that the rapid transformation of a cargo-processing facility with four toilets and two water fountains into a temporary residence and workplace for hundreds, if not thousands, would jeopardize the health and safety of the surrounding ecosystem in myriad ways, most notably through the likely overtaxing of the sewer system."
If the possibility exists, however remotely, a more rigorous review is then required -- which typically takes months to complete. What seems like politically expedient red raw meat in 2026 may well give off a fouler odor, once the winds start blowing, whether this fall, or in 2028 -- as communities start pushing back, and force the cancellation or sidelining of such ghastly projects.
A judge in Michigan canceled a similar preliminary injunction that would have temporarily halted similar retrofitting plans for a warehouse in Romulus, Bloomberg Law reports. The lawsuit in that case alleges that one sewer line isn't nearly enough for 500 projected detainees, for a building that's sitting on top of a floodplain. Similar pushbacks are proceeding in Arizona and New Jersey, raising headaches that authorities might well have avoided, as Hurson stated, in his ruling:
“Had D.H.S. done so, it likely would have found that the rapid transformation of a cargo-processing facility with four toilets and two water fountains into a temporary residence and workplace for hundreds, if not thousands, would jeopardize the health and safety of the surrounding ecosystem in myriad ways, most notably through the likely overtaxing of the sewer system."
Most interestingly of all, the fate of "Alligator Alcatraz" -- the brain(?)child of Florida's infamous governing bully, Ron DeSantis -- appears questionable, too. Environmental groups there assert that state and federal reimbursement of construction costs amounts to a "significant federal action," one that warrants NEPA review.
Time will tell how that battle plays out, though for his part, acting DHS head Todd Lyons claimed that the plans are actually beneficial -- allowing the government to control the space, instead of relying on private contractors. "It's actually retrofitted to become a detention facility, one that we'll actually be proud of, one that would have actually have standards," Lyons told Congress.
Then again, when we consider the bigger picture -- from how many have already died in these holding pens, to persistent allegations of physical and sexual assault, substandard sanitation, and total disregard for detainees' rights, including access to lawyers -- Lyons's breezily self-assured statements seem totally divorced from the cold, hard reality of what's happening on the ground.
Time will tell how that battle plays out, though for his part, acting DHS head Todd Lyons claimed that the plans are actually beneficial -- allowing the government to control the space, instead of relying on private contractors. "It's actually retrofitted to become a detention facility, one that we'll actually be proud of, one that would have actually have standards," Lyons told Congress.
Then again, when we consider the bigger picture -- from how many have already died in these holding pens, to persistent allegations of physical and sexual assault, substandard sanitation, and total disregard for detainees' rights, including access to lawyers -- Lyons's breezily self-assured statements seem totally divorced from the cold, hard reality of what's happening on the ground.
But it's a feeling that we've all gotten to know too well, as Mullin reportedly plots to rebrand his wife, Christie, as a "special government employee" -- just like Noem did, for Lewandowski -- to the tune of a cool $130,000 per year. What Ms. Mullin might actually do is naturally opaque, though it's easy to see her working on some Donna Reed-style puffery to somehow burnish ICE's brutal public face. The possibilities are endless, starting with the obvious one:
ICE Corrections:
Detention
Centers
To Die For.
Or how about something that plays to Trump's prior public incarnation, as New York City's grand master of construction, even if that seems a lifetime away now:
Your Surveillance State,
One Warehouse At A Time
Or maybe a blacker, bare-knuckled style humor is called for here, one that's more in keeping with the mission:
Ice Detention:
Where Revenge Is Always
A Dish Served Cold!
You get the gist. The issue hasn't gone away, just off the front pages -- which is all the more reason to keep the pressure on, and shine an unforgiving light on Mullin's excesses, and those of his fellow overdogs...even as millions upon millions of unfortunates sleep on the sidewalks, or on the back seats of their cars, wondering when this uniquely ill-starred era of feral capitalist madness is ever going to end. We owe them every effort to ensure that day comes sooner, rather than later. -- The Reckoner
Links To Go Go (Drive A Bit Faster Past
Your Friendly Neighborhood Warehouse):
Bloomberg Law: ICE Changes
Environmental Review Plan For Detention Centers:
Environmental Review Plan For Detention Centers:
New York Times: ICE Plan Faces Delay
Over Lack Of Environmental Reviews:
Over Lack Of Environmental Reviews:
https://archive.ph/oqZBx
The New Republic:
The New Republic:
DHS Secretary Tries To Get His Wife Cushy Job:
https://newrepublic.com/post/211006/dhs-secretary-mullin-wife-special-government-employee-job
https://newrepublic.com/post/211006/dhs-secretary-mullin-wife-special-government-employee-job
The Week: Five Brutal Cartoons About "Alligator Alcatraz":
https://theweek.com/cartoons/editorial-cartoons-alligator-alcatraz
https://theweek.com/cartoons/editorial-cartoons-alligator-alcatraz
"It is time to replace this country's abusive and punitive immigration detention system... They throw away money that could be redirected to programs that benefit us all."
<American Civil Liberties Union, Florida,
American Friends Service Committee>
"There’s absolutely no reason for detention centers to hold people for extended periods of time, other than to fund the prison industry complex and waste taxpayer dollars."
<Representative Andre Carson, Facebook>
"It is detaining people first and sorting out legality later. It is expanding executive power while narrowing public oversight. It is treating constitutional limits as obstacles rather than obligations."
<American Civil Liberties Union, Florida,
American Friends Service Committee>
"There’s absolutely no reason for detention centers to hold people for extended periods of time, other than to fund the prison industry complex and waste taxpayer dollars."
<Representative Andre Carson, Facebook>
"It is detaining people first and sorting out legality later. It is expanding executive power while narrowing public oversight. It is treating constitutional limits as obstacles rather than obligations."
<ACLU of Pennsylvania, Facebook>
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