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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump's concentration camp!
By GARANCE BURKE AND MARTHA MENDOZA
TORNILLO, Texas (AP) The Trump administration announced in June it would open a temporary shelter for up to 360 migrant children in this isolated corner of the Texas desert. Less than six months later, the facility has expanded into a detention camp holding thousands of teenagers and it shows every sign of becoming more permanent.
By Tuesday, 2,324 largely Central American boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 17 were sleeping inside the highly guarded facility in rows of bunk beds in canvas tents, some of which once housed first responders to Hurricane Harvey. More than 1,300 teens have arrived since the end of October.
Rising from the cotton fields and dusty roads not far from the fence marking the border between the U.S. and Mexico, the camp has rows of beige tents and golf carts that ferry staffers carrying walkie-talkies. Teens with identical haircuts and government-issued shirts and pants can be seen walking single file from tent to tent, flanked by staff at the front and back.
https://www.apnews.com/16f53fb6dd644662a1e52bbad72d99cc
More people are detained in this tent city than in all but one US federal prison, and construction continues.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)Sounds like a concentration camp to me. Trump's concentration camp.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Thanks, as a result of your reply, I quickly changed the headline of the Opening Post and readers, replies and especially recommendations grew rapidly.
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)thanks
MineralMan
(146,338 posts)Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,664 posts)C_U_L8R
(45,025 posts)Republicans are fucking despicable for doing this.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)He is not only a disgrace to their party but also a disgrace to the human race
Initech
(100,108 posts)He's brought their racism and sexism out in the open for the whole world to see. They're probably loving this shit.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)2naSalit
(86,843 posts)these fuckers are involved with human trafficking and probably have been for a long time.
bdamomma
(63,931 posts)higher power please rid us of these vermin that we have in the WH.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Le Gaucher
(1,547 posts)Girard442
(6,086 posts)It's a near certainty that some have already died from disease, abuse, or violence. When you build concentration camps, you end up with the whole concentration camp package.
world wide wally
(21,757 posts)dbackjon
(6,578 posts)Scalded Nun
(1,242 posts)He needs to own this for life
watoos
(7,142 posts)Scalded Nun
(1,242 posts)ZeroSomeBrains
(638 posts)It's not going to improve until we stop expecting that these republicans will hold this administration accountable and start hounding every republican everywhere as complicit. They may say that it makes them uncomfortable but they don't care.
Make them have to look at the world of hate they are allowing to continue unabated. Make sure every fake note of concern is shown as the useless jibber jabber that it is. This is America. And these children's plight must be made a high priority in the new House. This cannot continue.
Fuzzpope
(602 posts)Of human cash crop.
Goddamn these people to hell, we are going to carry this stain for generations. Right now, sixty years in the future, a classroom is asking their teacher why the American people allowed Trump to perpetrate these atrocities and inflict grievous harm upon the entire planet.
What's the teacher's answer going to be? Who will the teacher condemn more, Trump, or us for not stopping him sooner?
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)With unpredictable Climate Change, rapidly impacting species on Earth, especially humans, neither the hypothetical teacher, nor her students will have to face questions about Human inhumanity to other people.
Fuzzpope
(602 posts)Thank you, Jeffersons Ghost, and sadly, I am inclined to agree with you.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Would you like working with other's at DU to get recent Climate Change news publicized here? We can use DU mail to notify supporters and friends to alert them that a new OP needs recommendations and replies.
Fuzzpope
(602 posts)Climate change is something I've ground my head against from the early days of "global warming", I am painfully aware of the difficulty in promoting awareness, recognition, and engagement even among liberals who are predisposed towards preserving our environment.
As a father of two children who loses endless sleep in the dull panic of fearing the world my kids are forced to exist within, anything that I can do to help make a difference I'm all in on.
Saviolo
(3,283 posts)If you've never been curling, it's a very honour-system based sport, and extremely social. After you play a game, there is what is called the "Broomstack." This is where both teams gather to chat and have a drink (winning team buys).
One of the guys on the other team scoffed a little when I called Trump fascist, so I pointed out that he's doing a bunch of fascist things, like calling for the imprisoning of political opponents, attacks on the press, and actual concentration camps. He actually did a "how dare you" at me for calling the child internment facilities (you know, those camps they describe in the OP?) as "concentration camps" because it's so disrespectful to people who've survived the German concentration camps.
I responded "The Nazis weren't the first nor were they the most recent to use concentration camps. Japanese internment was concentration camps, the Trail of Tears led to concentration camps." He just didn't buy it. I have to thank Robert Evans and his podcast Behind the Bastards for a really interesting primer on the history of concentration camps, I felt well armed in that discussion:
https://www.behindthebastards.com/podcasts/concentration-camps-are-back-so-lets-talk-about-their-history.htm
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Not to mention insulting to the memory of the millions who died in actual concentration camps.
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Odd, that you find it okay to call the title "preposterous," while thousands of other readers took no offense to the thread!
Docreed2003
(16,883 posts)If these camps don't meet the definition of "concentration camps", how would you describe them?
AncientGeezer
(2,146 posts)Nobody living in these places faces ANY threat of going to a gas chamber.
Docreed2003
(16,883 posts)We are incarcerating thousands of children and teenagers and dehumanizing them. We are watching this as a society and largely shrugging it off as if this is no big deal, and I'm not speaking about the folks here and other places that are in tune to what's happening...what I mean is ask the average person if they even know about these camps and I'd wager they don't, or at best they don't know the extent of them.
No they aren't being killed or gassed, but what I fear is that we will dehumanize then to the point that worse things will happen and large parts of our country will not bat an eye.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)Can you dig it?
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)None of the 2,100 staff are going through rigorous FBI fingerprint background checks, according to a government watchdog memo published Tuesday. Instead, Tornillo is using checks conducted by a private contractor that has access to less comprehensive data, thereby heightening the risk that an individual with a criminal history could have direct access to children, the memo says.
https://www.apnews.com/16f53fb6dd644662a1e52bbad72d99cc
Also, as the OP states the facility was built for FAR less detainees, making disease, rape and murder real dangers.
UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)UniteFightBack
(8,231 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)bdamomma
(63,931 posts)Rachel reporting on this last night. 2,324 kids are being held. This is disgusting.
This is being done in our name.