There are a number of explanations, but they all come down to power, money, politics, and fear. Immigration has become one of the third rails of American politics. With their principles totally eclipsed by the 2010 mid-term elections, politicians are terrified by the tsunami of jingoistic populism currently sweeping our country. (Witness, the "death panels" town halls.)
At the same time, their political skins are vulnerable because they know that Hispanics are the country's fastest-growing voter demographic - and Hispanics happen to be the largest slice of those in ICE custody. Maybe they can console themselves in the knowledge that illegal immigrants and resident aliens can't vote.
Also, detention is but a sub-set of Immigration, writ large. Most lawmakers think it's too far down in the weeds for the American public to grasp.
Then too, the playing field ain't exactly level. Advocates for changes in our detention system have limited clout and little money. And they're being opposed by interests that have lots of clout and virtually unlimited money. Included is the well-organized lobbying apparatus opposed to any version of immigration reform. Also included are the companies that have reaped a post-9/11 profits bonanza by operating private for-profit prisons.
Finally, the detention issue has been marked by a series of head-scratching decisions by the Obama Administration. While the DHS's Napolitano was announcing sweeping future reforms in ICE's detention practices, she was also committing to an expansion of a little-known statutory provision that allows DHS to deputize local law enforcement authorities to arrest and detain alleged immigration violators. These "partnerships" now exist all over the country.
That has resulted in a highly complex legal specialty being administered by cops who have no knowledge or experience in this discipline - and siphoning off people-power and resources needed to do the important work cops are trained to do.
That program happens to be opposed by most law enforcement authorities in the U.S. But not all. Some think it's just dandy. That's how we end up with people like Joe Arpaio, the self-proclaimed "Toughest Sheriff in America," who is one of the DHS's "partners" in this program. Arpaio and his merry men are busily rounding up anything that moves in Maricopa County (Pheonix, etc.), Arizona - while at the same time being investigated by the Justice Department for violating his victims' civil rights.
But, lest I leave you in a state of clinical depression, let me sign off here on a slightly more encouraging note.
Lou Dobbs, one of the "Five Horsemen," has recently experienced some kind of epiphany (or else he finally got the memo from his bosses at CNN). After his endless tirades against immigration and immigrants - spiced more recently by the large megaphone he's handed the "birthers" and the "deathers" - Dobbs has begun what is being billed as a year-long series of reports on the health care systems of other countries in the world.
I watched the first of these last week - and, lo and behold, here was Lou Dobbs, actually sounding like a journalist. And he wasn't just playing a journalist on TV; his report was mostly solid and factual. He even had a few positive things to report about the single-payer system. For a change, he spoke as though he respected the intelligence of the American people.
Well, if Lou Dobbs can get born again, maybe there's still a sliver of hope for Hannity, O'Reilly, Limbaugh and Beck.
Let us pray!
Jason Leopold, Editor-in-Chief of The Public Record, contributed research for this article.
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