ICE Detentions Opaque? Who Could Have Predicted?
A federal judge, bless their heart, just had to remind ICE that lawmakers are actually allowed to inspect detention centers. This follows years of ICE stonewalling, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal's office being denied access in 2018 to facilities housing children. It's almost charming, this legal insistence on oversight, given ICE's documented pattern of operating with little accountability, often
in privately run facilities where profit motives complicate humane treatment. The US has, ironically, critiqued other nations for similar opaqueness regarding detention abuses. One might wonder if the concern for transparency extends to, say, the US providing diplomatic cover and billions in military aid to allies who operate their own opaque detention centers. How many headlines does it take for
us to recognize a pattern? It appears some forms of official secrecy are more acceptable than others, especially when they serve 'national security' interests – or, perhaps more accurately, defense contractor profits, like those funding the very politicians who'd rather not see what $450,000 in 'contributions' buys.