Making The Trump Concentration Camps... Better?

I saw an old friend the other day. She's for Biden; depressing for me. She bristled when I called the concentration camps concentration camps; depressing for her. Bummer all around.

Wednesday night, while my friend and I were bumming each other out, a bill (H.R. 3239-- Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act) by Raul Ruiz, a moderate California backbencher from Palm Springs, passed the House 233-195. Every Democrat voted for it and just one Republican, Don Young of Alaska, opposed it.

A few minutes before the vote though, the Republicans offered Adam Kinzinger's motion to recommit, scoring a rare victory over Pelosi's Democratic majority, as 41 conservative Democrats crossed the aisle and voted with the Republicans-- the Democrats' Pro-Concentration Camp Caucus. Bear with me a moment and I'll tell you who they are. The bill itself was described by Kaiser Health News as legislation setting health care, safety and hygiene standards for detained immigrants. "Along with the standards," Kaiser explained," the legislation bars Border Patrol from denying lawmakers access to the facilities and it directs the agency to provide adequate training for its officers to carry out the new requirements" If it passes the Senate and Trump signs it, the legislation will require the CBP "to conduct health screenings, provide emergency care and provide access to medication, translators and emergency transportation for undocumented immigrants."

The change the Republicans-- with the help of the 41 Dems from the Pro-Concentration Camp Caucus-- won added language commending the concentration camp guards for the "great" work they do. There was a hint of this a few days ago with far right-wing Blue Dog-- "ex"-Republican Tom O'Halleran (AZ)-- came back from visiting Trump's Yuma concentration camp and tweeted this:

O'Halleran appears to have gotten enough blowback from his constituents to have deleted the tweet and, unexpectedly, voted against Kinzinger's motion. "If this Congress cannot agree to provide these agents the resources they need, as this bill fails to do," railed Kinzinger, "the least we can do is affirm our appreciation for their work. Agreeing to this motion to recommit will not impact the passage of this bill. Voting in favor of this will not kill the bill that we're voting on here today. Today what we have is an opportunity and a moment in time to make a simple statement. This institution can leave politics aside and take this time to recognize the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, the sons and daughters, the husbands and wives, our neighbors and the constituents we serve, the men and women of our U.S. Border patrol working in these facilities every day." After they got their bullshit added to the bill, neither Kinzinger, McCarthy nor any other Republican, except Young, voted for it.




Pelosi frothed at the mouth and threatened the defectors-- but to no avail... since they knew her threats to withhold DCCC funds were a joke that would never be followed through on-- although none of the conservatives in her leadership team-- like Cheri Bustos and Steny Hoyer-- broke ranks. Kevin McCarthy noticed Pelosi's anguish at not being able to control her own caucus and crowed: "Tonight, 41 House Democrats broke party lines to join Republicans in passing a momentous Republican Motion to Recommit. This MTR commended the selfless employees of the U.S. Border Patrol for steadfastly carrying out their duties and commitments to the American people during an unimaginable time of crisis. Despite the record number of immigrants flooding the border, paired with the devastating lack of resources, these men and women do their best every day to stick to the mission, even if it means long hours or paying out of their own pockets for basic items like toothpaste and toys. Congress should support and thank these officers, not demonize them."

It might be worth adding that yesterday, Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Jennifer Costello, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting that the IG conduct an investigation into the use of solitary confinement and other punishments to coerce participation in "voluntary" work programs at federal and federally-contracted immigration detention facilities, and the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies, procedures, and guidance in such practices. GEO and CoreCivic, the two largest for-profit, federally-contracted private prison companies-- both of which contributed large sums to Trump's campaign (and to other conservatives) are over-paid by ICE to house immigrant detainees. They both face several lawsuits alleging the use of punishment as a tool to coerce detainees into voluntary work programs. A 2014 class action lawsuit filed in Colorado has accused GEO of forcing tens of thousands of detainees, specifically through the threat of solitary confinement, to work for $1 per day. A 2017 lawsuit in California alleges that GEO forced detainees into so-called voluntary labor programs by depriving them of basic necessities. And a 2018 lawsuit against CoreCivic in Georgia alleges a similar "deprivation scheme" as a means of forcing labor, including by withholding food, clothing, hygiene products, and phone calls to loved ones.

Moderate Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi was one of the Democrats McCarthy and Kinzinger were hoping to get to vote for the motion. Having just come back from a visit to the camps himself, Suozzi didn't fall into their trap like so many of his colleagues did. "First," he told me yesterday, "Motions to Recommit are often used as a GOP trick to defeat Democratic legislation by amending it. More important, while I am sure most Customs and Border Patrol officers are compassionate and professional, it is not credible to offer a blanket tribute to all Customs and Border Patrol officers after the release of the Pro Publica report two weeks ago where multiple current and former officers posted disparaging, racist, misogynistic and disrespectful Facebook posts regarding immigrants, elected officials and others.Customs and Border Patrol is overwhelmed, in significant part, because of this administration’s poor policy decisions. It is not fair to give Customs and Border Patrol officers a blanket condemnation for working under trying circumstances, but it is also wholly inappropriate to give them blanket praise, especially in light of the Pro Publica report."

Before you read the list of the Democratic members of the of the Pro-Concentration Camp Caucus, I would recommend you read the guest post we ran earlier today-- about the crippling nature of garden variety Democratic Party political fear-- by Georgia Senate candidate Teresa Tomlinson. These are the Dems who betrayed the party Wednesday... and condemned their souls to hell's fire:

• Cindy Axne (New Dem-IA)
• Anthony Brindisi (Blue Dog-NY)
• Ed Case (Blue Dog-HI)
• Gil Cisneros (New Dem-CA)
• Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)
• TJ Cox (CA)
• Angie Craig (New Dem-MN)
• Henry Cuellar (Blue Dog-TX)
• Joe Cunningham (Blue Dog-SC)
• Antonio Delgado (NY)
• Jared Golden (ME)
• Vicente Gonzalez (Blue Dog-TX)
• Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ)
• Josh Harder (New Dem-CA)
• Kendra Horn (Blue Dog-OK)
• Stephen Horsford (New Dem-NV)
• Chrissy Houlahan (New Dem-PA)
• Ron Kind (New Dem-WI)
• Susie Lee (New Dem-NV)
• Mike Levin (CA)
• Dan Lipinski (Blue Dog-IL)
• Elaine Luria (New Dem-VA)
• Tom Malinowski (New Dem-NJ)
• Ben McAdams (Blue Dog-UT)
• Lucy McBath (New Dem-GA)
• Seth Moulton (New Dem-MA)
• Stephanie Murphy (Blue Dog-FL)
• Scott Peters (New Dem-CA)
• Colin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
• Dean Phillips (New Dem-MN)
• Katie Porter (New Dem-CA)
• Max Rose (Blue Dog-NY)
• Tim Ryan (OH)
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)
• Mikie Sherrill (Blue Dog-NJ)
• Elise Slotkin (New Dem-MI)
• Abigail Spanberger (Blue Dog-VA)
• Xochitl Torres Small (Blue Dog-NM)
• Lauren Underwood (New Dem-IL)
• Jefferson Van Drew (Blue Dog- NJ)
• Filemon Vela (Blue Dog-TX)

Mark Gamba, the progressive mayor of Milwaukie, Oregon contesting the congressional seat held by GOP pawn Kurt Schrader, seemed pissed off. "We have a humanitarian crisis at our southern boarder that our lack of serious action to stop climate change has caused. This has been further exacerbated by the horrific policies of the current administration. Daily stories about mis-treatment, children being torn from their parents arms, CHILDREN IN BLOODY CAGES FOR GOD'S SAKE! While I'm sure there are good people among the boarder patrol, the overall effect absolutely does not warrant their being praised for their work, quite the opposite. Congress is meant to not only represent, but to provide leadership. The true leaders in Congress are decrying the horrific treatment of our fellow human beings. It is unconscionable that people like Schrader condone, let alone praise what is happening down there. If I were in office I would be day-lighting the abuses at every opportunity and working create a humane system for refugees to access safety. I would also be working to stop climate change so that the whole of the tropics does not need to move north."

Kim Williams, the progressive taking on reactionary Blue Dog Jim Costa in California's Central Valley noticed that Costa was one of the conservatives who joined the Republicans to congratulation the border guards. "It is incredible to me," she said, "that a member of the Hispanic Caucus would join Republicans to recognize U.S. Border patrol agents the same month we learn that CBP agents joked about dead Hispanic babies and raping congresswomen to a 9,000-member Facebook group. At a time when we are in desperate need of a representative who will speak out against racism and abuse at the border, Costa offers praise. I would have stood with the 155 Democrats who rejected the motion to recommit."

Nero Lives by Nancy Ohanian