Policing Immigration: The Perpetual Crackdown
📰 THE STORY: Mainstream news outlets, including RT in this instance, report on nationwide 'National Shutdown' protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), highlighting confrontations between demonstrators and police. The narrative often centers on the 'disruption' caused and the 'violence' of the clashes, presenting them as isolated incidents of civil unrest. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT
TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The current immigration enforcement regime didn't appear overnight. It's the culmination of decades of legislation, starting with measures like the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act which criminalized undocumented status, and crucially, the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) which dramatically expanded deportation
powers and introduced mandatory detention — a direct precursor to today's ICE system. The growth of immigration policing is directly linked to the post-9/11 'war on terror' expansion of domestic surveillance and enforcement agencies. Prior to this, border enforcement was primarily handled by the Border Patrol (created 1924) and the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service, created 1933), with
far less emphasis on mass internal enforcement. ICE itself was only created in 2003 as part of the Department of Homeland Security, consolidating various agencies into a formidable domestic force specifically designed to enforce immigration laws with carceral vigor. Double Standard: When police in the US violently suppress protests against state power, it's often framed by corporate media as