This is horrific… What if the hospital she was at was the only one with the technology to competently treat her condition.
Would be severely fucked up for the family to lose their daughter, in addition to being deported. Hopefully Claudia Shinebaum is able to facilitate medical care for this poor girl.
People asking if this is legal are missing the point. This is wrong, what is legal is whatever the executive decides, ICE can only be solved with constitunially supported extra judicial action.
Going a little bit tangent, legal philosophy always fascinates me. My particular interest is international law and its paradox. It is by intention the terms “agreement”, “accords” and “treaty” do not mean the same thing, and their level of legality and enforcement varies.
Mhmm I haven’t thought about that side of philosophy. Maybe eventually I’ll make a pit stop there.
The “just following orders” stage
If I were to carry out this order, I would refuse. Who cares whether she’s “legal” or not - deporting a sick child is simply inhumane. Those goddam monsters!
But yes, that’s quite right. The reign of terror in Hitler’s Third Reich was also only possible with those who carried out orders and clung to the idea that they were not responsible. Hannah Arendt described all this very well in “The Banality of Evil”.
Reading this now, and it strikes me as all the things I should have been taught about the Nazis beyond just the enormity of their cruelty:
Most important of all, how often just a little pushback stopped them stupid.
A student strike in German-occupied Belgium was enough pushback to stop the enforcement of the extradition of Jewish people there.
Italy, an ally at the beginning, would just say they would extradite their Jewish population, then not actually do it, in a loop, leaving the Germans frustrated simply by being lied to to their face and incapable of making progress.
You’re left with a picture of a bunch of bureaucrats following orders who are incapable of comprehending disobedience nor knowing how to handle it.
Though I suspect a large proportion of those in ice are doing it because they like the cruelty, the ones that are doing for the paycheque fall into the category you mentioned.
Yes, there are certainly many who are just inherently evil, but I don’t think that’s the majority. I think most of them are like Eichmann: objectively speaking, of course, they are also evil, but they don’t get satisfaction from their cruelty. They simply don’t question what they’re told because it’s their job - and that’s enough of an excuse for them towards others and also towards themselves. Doesn’t make them any less guilty, though, I would say.
The banally evil are the federal workers who document the files, who maintain the vehicles used to deport children, the healthcare workers who gave up on this child without a fight, etc. Those are guilty of collaboration but most probably aren’t doing evil for its own sake.
The ICE guys making the arrest are the fucking Gestapo. There simply is no excuse to be made for police who arrest sick children, that is a more than sufficient condition to be called Capital E Evil.
Because you would refuse you would not be the one asked to do this order. You have a functioning conscience, which makes you unqualified for such a position.
Well, I’m from Germany. Fortunately, our terrible history is still taught in every school here - in pretty much all its horrible detail.
That’s why it’s important to me to warn US citizens before it’s too late. I’m not so sure I would be courageous enough to stand up against such atrocities if I had to face deportation to an extermination camp, as I would have in Hitler’s time - please don’t do as the Germans did and fight back while you still can.
I mean there’s a world of difference between posting something somewhat critical on social media and actually having to fear consequences for life and limb. This is only for the really brave. I’m not so sure I’d be one of them if it really came down to it.
Don’t let it get that far in the first place!
I’m curious how deporting a legal citizen even works. Is there an exception for minors?
From the article, the family was driving from Rio Grande (in Texas) to Houston (also Texas) for her treatment, going through an immigration checkpoint, as they have done in the past but this time the entire family was detained and deported on the spot.
Generally people with family who have citizenship and noncriminals are all exceptions, they used to be called undocumented instead of illegals because even undocumented workers pay taxes in the USA. Not anymore, now anybody and everybody is at risk of deportation. They’re even discussing removal of citizenship from whoever they like, as they attempted in Trump’s last term.
It is worth noting that because of this policy the ICE is actually less effective at catching actual criminals.
They’re called “undocumented” because it is not a criminal offense to enter the country, but a civil one. Some also use “unauthorized” which is probably a little more accurate.
They deported the parents. Would you leave a sick children under the custody of a state who thinks you’re sub-human due to your skin color? They had no choice but to bring the kid back with them to Mexico.
why did they deport a family traveling for medical care? they weren’t sneaking across the border.
They didn’t actually cross the boarder at all, in this case. They were already in Texas and drove to a different part of Texas.
Remember that whole “Constitution-free zone” thing the ACLU has been harping on about for a decade or so now? The shit happening right now is why we should’ve heeded the ACLU’s warnings.
I’ve been on about that for about 3x as long, and roundly met with blank stares and outright denial. Once again, not at all happy about being proven correct.
It sucks being right about horrid shit.
Because the cruelty is the goal.
Because of their skin color
Because they weren’t the right color
Because they’re racist and got off on being evil.
There’s a quota.
Trump isn’t happy with the numbers they are deporting.
They have made clear that US citizenship does not protect you from deportation. It couldn’t be more obvious that no one is safe from these fascists. So fight on behalf of those who are being persecuted (immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, women) because they’re just the current front line of the battle against forces that are coming for you sooner or later.
I know it makes no difference really, but is that legal? Could doctors not intervene? Could ICE be liable for death or injury incurred from deporting a citizen?
I mean, there were trials in Nuremberg eventually.
If there was functioning legal system in the US, they could.
It functions. That’s part of the issue. It’s mostly there to protect the rich and fuck the poor and minorities.
Even prior to the current political climate, police overreach in hospitals has happened multiple times. Usually involves police arresting a nurse/doctor for not doing what the police want (even if the medical staff are in the right). Medical staff loses pay for the day, patient harm does happen because of involuntary abandonment, and no punishment is metered for the police.
So yeah, doctors and nurses are quite helpless here.
Could ICE be liable for death or injury incurred from deporting a citizen?
Yes, but only if the court will uphold the law. And at that point, the punitive measures can’t bring back life or brain function.
Asking those questions about Nazi-era German deportation/detention policy would yield the same answers.
Was she hospitalized? Not a lot the doctors can do if she was at home.
Stay classy 'murica!
