The Thinking ‘Kat: The Rule of Law, and Moral Failure
In the wake of an ICE agent killing a woman as she drove away, the question has to be whether or not Trump and his Republicans will respect the process, permit a transparent investigation, or do what they have often done, and whip up their dishonest narrative about leftist violence. So far, the signs are not encouraging, but then again, did anyone expect anything different? Below is an excellent example of Trump’s view on law, and on consequences for that matter (you may need a Twitter account to view the tweets):
This is not the first incident regarding ICE agents acting in a questionable manner. Detention centres, such as the one at Fort Bliss, are reported to be systematic in their abuse of detainees, including violence toward detainees, and inhumane living conditions. To quote:
Since its opening, media reports and stories from people detained affirm the conditions, rights violations, and deliberate opacity the ACLU warned would follow the opening of this site. Recent reporting reveals alarming conditions at Fort Bliss. The site has already racked up 60 violations of federal detention standards within its first 50 days of operation.
Each pod holds 60–70 people who report chronic food shortages, with meals sufficient for only about 50 individuals. People are forced to ration food, skip meals, or take turns eating — and when food is available, it is often spoiled or partially frozen, causing widespread vomiting, diarrhea, and rapid weight loss. Basic hygiene supplies are scarce: pods receive only a handful of rolls of toilet paper, and people go days without soap, clean clothing, or access to functioning showers. Detainees describe tents and bathrooms flooded with foul water mixed with urine and feces, creating squalid and unsafe living conditions.
Access to medical care is equally alarming. Individuals with serious conditions report going days or weeks without prescribed medication or having medical requests ignored until someone collapses. They are named here using pseudonyms to protect their identities. Josefina, who has diabetes, describes receiving insulin at erratic intervals that cause dangerous spikes and crashes in her blood sugar. Fernando went 15 days without his prescribed blood pressure medication. Others, including Ignacio, who previously suffered a stroke, report blurry vision and other clear warning signs while officers fail to provide timely care. Detainees consistently say that staff do not respond to medical requests for days and that people must faint or bleed before receiving attention.
Extreme and unlawful use of force is also prominent at Fort Bliss. Several detained individuals have described violent assaults by officers, including sexual abuse. Ignacio, Samuel, and others report officers crushing their testicles during beatings — a tactic used while people were already restrained or after they refused coerced removal to Mexico. Abel, Benjamin, and Eduardo also reported being slammed, stomped on, or beaten when they expressed fear of being sent to Mexico or when they simply requested their medication. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a pattern of brutality that violates even ICE’s minimal standards.
Access to counsel and legal services is similarly inadequate. When Fort Bliss opened, it relied almost entirely on tablets for visitation and attorney communication, offering no privacy for confidential legal calls. The facility has since modified its protocols, but legal service providers are now allowed to meet with only ten detainees per day — an impossible limitation for a population of roughly 3,000. Many still lack working PINs to call attorneys, and the so-called law library contains no legal materials.
These rights violations — layered on top of hazardous conditions such as leaking water, unstable infrastructure, filthy tents, and ongoing construction — paint a grim picture.
Additionally, ICE agents – who are poorly trained – are not being properly vetted. ICE agents branish weapons at bystanders and assault bystanders for having the audacity to speak up against their strong-arm tactics and thuggish behaviour. They are enabled by the dangerous rhetoric coming from the top, and drunk on their sense of authority. Due process has been abandoned, and it seems laws and even basic human decency are out of the window, unless of course you took part in the Jan 6th insurrection, and stamped on police officers, in which case you deserve to be pardoned.
ICE agents are rarely held accountable for their actions, even in cases of violent confrontations that leave people dead. There is little transparency too, and hardly any oversight. We are looking at a terrible combination, especially for what is purported to be a law enforcement agency.
Some people think that any and every illegal immigrant should be treated as scum, irrespective of individual circumstances. They believe – in some cases despite their own shady past as a border-hopper – that illegal immigrants are subhuman, and should be treated as such. Somehow, they are convinced that laws and even basic morality can be thrown out of the window, hence their unwavering support for the brutality ICE agents so often on display.
Remember people, when people commit violence in Trump’s name, it’s not really violence, even with plenty of clear-cut evidence, but we can assume the deadly intent of Renee Good from some grainy footage.
‘Kat Comments