Scale of Detention
More than 60,000 individuals are currently held in ICE detention centers across the country.
1The Bulwark Podcast
Jonathan Blitzer: Our New Internment Camps
An examination of current ICE detention conditions, the repurposing of WWII sites, and the political context of the deportation campaign.
Over 60,000 people are currently held in ICE detention centers, with significant attention on the Fort Bliss facility in El Paso, a former Japanese internment site from WWII. Detainees face conditions such as medication deprivation and incommunicado status, while Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants are highlighted as key targets of the deportation campaign.
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Jonathan Blitzer: Our New Internment Camps
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Fort Bliss Facility
The largest detention facility is located at Fort Bliss in El Paso, which served as a Japanese internment site during World War II.
2Living Conditions
Detainees report being deprived of needed medication, held incommunicado, and living in tent camps not designed for human habitation.
3Targeted Demographics
Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants are identified as being particularly targeted by the escalating deportation campaign.
5Ask GenPod next
Keep the question moving.
“How do current ICE detention conditions compare to historical internment camps?”
“What are the specific challenges faced by Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants in the current deportation campaign?”
“What role does the repurposing of military bases like Fort Bliss play in the current immigration policy?”
Background reading
The context behind the episode.
Historical Context
Fort Bliss and WWII Internment
The use of Fort Bliss for current ICE detention draws parallels to its history as a Japanese internment site during World War II, highlighting the repurposing of military infrastructure for civilian detention.
2Questions
Questions to carry into the episode.
What is the significance of the Fort Bliss facility?
It is the largest ICE detention facility and was a Japanese internment site during WWII.
2What conditions have been reported by detainees?
Detainees report medication deprivation, incommunicado status, and living in tent camps not designed for humans.
3Which immigrant groups are specifically targeted?
Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants are particularly caught in the crosshairs of the deportation campaign.
5Experts
Voices named in the source.
Sources and disclosure
Where this guide comes from.
This guide is based on the episode 'Jonathan Blitzer: Our New Internment Camps' from The Bulwark Podcast, featuring Jon Blitzer and Tim Miller.
- Publisher show notes
While ICE is still murdering people in the streets, more than 60,000 people are currently being held in ICE detention centers across the country.
- Publisher show notes
The largest facility is at Fort Bliss in El Paso—which was an actual Japanese internment site in WWII.
- Publisher show notes
Detainees there are being deprived of needed medication; some have been held incommunicado; others have reported that the tent camp was not designed for humans to live there.
- Publisher show notes
When the conditions are not dire enough to make detainees self-deport, guards terrorize them into submission.
- Publisher show notes
Plus: Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants are particularly caught in the crosshairs of the escalating deportation campaign.
- Publisher show notes
And Tim holds forth on Trump's goons murdering our neighbors, ICE's reckless Kavanaugh stops, the straight-up Constitutional violations the administration is encouraging, and the illegal and marauding settler groups in the West Bank.
- Publisher show notes
The New Yorker's Jon Blitzer joins Tim Miller.
- Publisher show notes
show notes
- Publisher show notes
• Jon's piece, "Locked Away" • Nick Miroff's Atlantic piece on the Maine shooting • The NYT on Marco running Venezuela (gift link) • The episode of "This American Life" Jon referenced, "What Is Your Emergency?" • Jon's book, "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here" • The HBO Max show, "Proud," Tim referenced
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