Republic of Fear

The new Florida concentration camp, likely the first of dozens that will be funded by Trump and congressional Republicans’ Budget Reconciliation Bill, is already notorious for overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and human rights abuses. Its name was coined by a Florida official who heard Trump muse about returning Alcatraz to the federal prison system, and about digging an alligator filled moat on the border between Mexico and the U.S.  (Alligators could never survive the aridity and heat of the border.)  The president eagerly embraced the insulting appellation and made it the Florida camp’s official name. More

Roaming Charges: Masked and Anonymous

George Retes was pulled over by ICE as he was driving near the violent raid on farm workers outside of Camarillo last Thursday. The ICE agents broke the windows of his car and pepper sprayed him, before taking him into custody. Retes is an American citizen and disabled US Army Veteran. He was held in federal lockup for four days , during which time his family and lawyer had no way of contacting him to find out where he was or inquire about his physical condition. He was released without charges on Sunday night. Is this what Thomas Homan meant when he told FoxNews that ICE can stop people based on their skin-color and “briefly” detain them without a warrant or probably cause until ICE is satisfied they’re American citizens? More

The City We Can Call Ours

The deafening racket we’re getting here in Spain from US politics or, more like it, from Donald Trump’s chaotic and volatile presidency, tends to drown out other signals we’re getting. In this situation of the Trump administration’s blind developmentalism and explicit refusal to accept any limits or to engage in mature consideration of the policies More