tags: , , AVEF, Press Releases

From Trump’s Political Police Force to Government Secrecy to Indecent and Inhumane Immigration Actions, The Smell of Neo-Fascism is in the Air

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As America’s Voice Spanish-Language Media Advisor David Torres points out in his new column, the “smell of neo-fascism” is in the air, as the Trump Administration continues to radically change the way the U.S. Government operates in multiple arenas.

Lynn Tramonte, Deportation Defense Coordinator for America’s Voice, said:

“The Trump Administration is rapidly dismantling democratic norms and institutions across the government, with immigration being one of the most blatant examples. From Trump himself to Jeff Sessions and Stephen Miller, there is an attitude within the Administration that human rights and constitutional protections — like due process and freedom of expression — are no longer valued.”

Consider just these recent headlines:

“Job No. 1 for a Democratic Congress: Investigate ICE,” subhead: “It’s become the most brutal kind of police force.” In Esquire, Charles P. Pierce explains that the “horror of our present immigration policy grows steadily more grotesque,” citing examples like the government informant who was arrested for deportation after helping bring MS-13 members to justice, and the swift deportation of Somali men before their accusations of abuse in detention could be investigated.

“The Agencies Key To Trump’s Immigration Agenda Keep a Lot of Secrets.” Huffington Post’s Dana Liebelson describes how the Trump Administration’s immigration agencies are prime offenders when it comes to shielding their actions from public scrutiny.  “Complaints about delays and secrecy at ICE and CBP — as well as other federal agencies — long predate Trump. But his administration set a new record last year for censoring, withholding or claiming not to find records across the federal government, according to the Associated Press.”

“Want Asylum in America?  Get Ready for Hell.” Betsy Woodruff in The Daily Beast describes how Trump Administration policies — and its permissive, “shackles off” attitude — has lead to a breakdown of basic human decency in various settings.  The approach an asylum officer takes toward questioning an Ethiopian woman–a victim of female genital mutilation–is particularly illustrative of the shameful indiginities government officials are increasingly engaging in.  America’s Voice recently published a backgrounder on asylum in the Trump era that details ways that a process intended to protect people fleeing persecution is now being used to inflict even more pain.

“The Bureaucratic Nightmare of Fighting Deportation.”  In The New Yorker, Masha Gessen describes the government’s exceedingly inhumane and inexplicable actions when fighting to deport a chronically ill woman, Anastasia Schimanski.  “Just as immigrants are the most vulnerable part of the American population—which makes them the perfect target for the bureaucratic sadism of the Trump era—so immigration courts may prove to be the easiest courts for the Administration to subjugate.”

In a new blog post, America’s Voice published a round-up of “brutally cruel” deportations recently pursued, and in most cases carried out, by the Trump Administration.  To the extent that any of these cases were put on hold, it was generally because a judge — not an immigration agent — was able to step in.

As David Torres wrote in his recent piece [translated from Spanish]:

“Even if the US recovers from this, our ‘President’ would have left an unbridled and sickening smell of neo-fascism, racism, discrimination, and anti-immigrant attitudes behind.  This is, in its essence, a horrible lesson to leave in the nation’s history books, one that will be difficult for future teachers to explain.”

Tramonte continued:

“Every day we learn new examples of corruption, abuse, and inexplicably cruel decisions made by faceless bureaucrats given carte blanche authority to enforce immigration laws.  Not only are immigrants being caught up in Kafkaesque nightmares, but their American spouses, children and employers are too.  These are dark days for immigrants and for America.  If you don’t like the direction the government is heading in, get politically active and help elect leaders who will fight for our values and our democracy.”