A Militarized America: Trump and Miller Use Mass Deportation to Suspend Civil Liberties, Put Marines on our Streets

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Washington, DC — The Trump/Miller mass deportation agenda – and its embedded cruelties and chaos – is set to be turbocharged through the massive infusion of new money, thanks to the Republican big ugly bill that was signed into law on July 4. – Some $29.9 billion in enforcement funding and $45 billion for ICE and detention camps means that the cruel and chaotic mass deportation actions of late are slated to be scaled up to historic proportions.

According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:

“The cruelty and chaos we have all witnessed the last six months will pale in comparison to the militarized police state that this administration is hell-bent on imposing in America. The passage of the massive budget bill only turbo-charge the harms, from separating families, abducting workers in key industries, and gutting Medicaid and rural hospitals to name just a few of the growing threats. Americans of all political persuasions, need to recognize what’s being done in our name and with our tax dollars and to stand up and speak out against the abuse of power and on behalf of a different vision of this country.”

Below, find key voices highlighting several of the concerns inherent to the Trump/Miller mass deportation agenda and its larger elements:

In a Los Angeles Times article, “‘Making America militarized again’: Use of military in U.S. erodes democracy, veteran advocates say,” reporter Zurie Pope highlights a recent press conference featuring military families and veterans speaking out about concerns about newfound roles in immigration:

“Spouses experiencing health emergencies alone, because their loved ones are serving on the streets of Los Angeles. Troops fatigued by a mission they weren’t prepared for. Children of active-duty troops left without their parents, who were deployed on U.S. soil. Such incidents are happening because of the Trump administration’s decision to send troops to Los Angeles, said Brandi Jones, organizing director for the Secure Families Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates for military spouses, children and veterans

…On the eve of Independence Day, veterans, legal scholars and advocates for active-duty troops warned that sending troops to quell protests in California’s largest city threatens democratic norms. Under a 147-year-old law, federal troops are barred from being used for civilian law enforcement. Dan Maurer, a retired lieutenant colonel who is now a law professor at Ohio Northern University, described this state of affairs during the news conference as “exactly the situation we fought for independence from,” adding that President Trump is “making America militarized again.”

In his Financial Times column, Edward Luce writes of “Trump’s ominous ICE security state,” noting:

“They say the cruelty is the point. Inspecting cages that would spark outrage were zoos to put apes in them, Donald Trump last week expressed delight with Florida’s new deportee camp. The instantly dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” was “so professional, so well done”, he said. “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.” Lest there be ambiguity, the White House posted a picture of Trump flanked by alligators wearing caps with the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) logo declaring: “Make America safe again!”

… The “big, beautiful bill” that Trump signed into law on July 4 cannot be misread. The law slashes spending on healthcare, education, clean energy, food assistance, medical research and disease prevention. The same bill lifts ICE’s budget to an estimated $37.5bn a year. That is higher than Italy’s entire defence budget and just below Canada’s. ICE will now double the number of agents in the field. What Washington is set to spend on detention centres alone is greater than the USAID budget that was gutted earlier this year. Trump is ushering in America’s ICE age. He has catapulted ICE into America’s best-funded law enforcement agency — and increasingly beyond accountability. The agency’s in-house watchdog was scrapped earlier this year. For the time being, the lower courts can do little to rein it in. The Supreme Court last year gave Trump sweeping immunity from “official” acts he takes as president. That makes ICE Trump’s de facto private army — his security state within the state.”

Writing for MSNBC opinion, Hayes Brown assesses “How ICE’s massive cash infusion is poised to transform America,” noting:

“With a cash infusion of around $150 billion toward immigration enforcement and border security in last week’s budget bill, congressional Republicans handed the Trump administration the resources needed to carry out its mass deportation policy. The intended result is as aggressive as it is likely transformative: Immigration and Customs Enforcement is slated to become the largest law enforcement agency in the country as dozens of new detention centers spring up to hold hundreds of thousands of immigrants awaiting expulsion.”

In The Atlantic, former NYPD commander Brandon del Pozo writes, “Take Off the Mask, ICE,” noting of the militarized and masked ICE agents:

“This approach looks scary. It is scary. And it’s a grave mistake. In keeping with the values of the local police, the federal government should prohibit the wearing of masks by its officers and require them to properly identify themselves. These are the minimal requirements of policing a free state—regardless of how you feel about the administration’s stance on immigration. You can support ambitious deportation targets without sanctioning anonymous policing.”