NYC Public Advocate Protests ICE, Media Ignores DC's Own 'Detention Centers'
Al Jazeera reports on a New York City public advocate's arrest at an anti-ICE protest, framing it as a local story of civil disobedience. What goes unsaid, conveniently, is the extent to which the same federal government ICE represents, funds and facilitates detention, displacement, and human rights abuses globally. While we applaud local resistance to inhumane practices, the spotlight rarely
shifts to Washington's role in propping up regimes and policies that mirror ICE's worst tendencies on a grander scale. One might wonder if the outrage over domestic immigration policies would extend to the billions in U.S. aid that supports similar 'border enforcement' tactics by foreign actors, often in areas experiencing conflict or military occupation. The selective focus on local arrests,
while important, often distracts from the systemic responsibility shared by the very politicians who fund both ICE and its international equivalents. It's almost as if some 'human rights' are more photogenic than others.