Targeting the "Enemy Within"
In his victory speech following the November 5 presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump spoke of unity and that "We're going to help our country heal." He said, "We're going to fix our borders, we're going to fix everything about our country." "We're gonna have to seal up those borders, and we're gonna have to let people come into our country. We want people to come back in. But we have to, we have to let them come back in, but they have to come in legally," he said.
The call to "let people come into our country [...] legally" partly
reflects the demands of U.S. oligopolies for cheap labour, often
enslaved labour by immigrants where wages are not paid, especially for
farmworkers and construction workers. It is also the case that when
refugees enter the
country based on international law of which the U.S. is a signatory,
they are always "legal" because they can enter anywhere along the
border to seek asylum, not only via official border stations. Trump and
Biden confound unofficial border crossings with illegality and
asylum-seekers who enter
via those crossings are treated as illegal.
During his campaign Trump referred to cities in the U.S., like Aurora, Colorado by using military terms. He said they are being "occupied" and are "under invasion." He also said, "Following the Eisenhower Model, we will carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history."
On November 7 Trump said, "We have no choice," when it comes to deportations. Speaking to the hundreds of billions of dollars needed to accomplish the mass deportations, perhaps $1 trillion if done over several years, Trump said, "There is no price tag."
Control of the purse-strings is one of the few powers Congress has left. It has always been central to the issue of representation, expressed in the slogan at the time of the U.S. battle for independence from Britain, No Taxation Without Representation. Having Congress control the purse strings is supposed to be a major impediment to the president acting with impunity. But even on this issue, the rivalries within the ruling factions reflected in the Congress are so intense that budgets do not get passed and government shutdowns loom every few months. Trump is hoping he can control the Congress but the factions among the cartel parties remain, so how votes will go on specific issues remain unpredictable.
The inference to this program of deportations and closing the southern border having "no price tag" is that Trump can always utilize funds already designated to the Pentagon, which yearly gets about $800 billion, even if they were meant for other purposes. This is another means used to break barriers when it comes to control of funds. Such funds have been given by Biden repeatedly to Ukraine as well as Israel. As well, with multi-billionaires like Elon Musk and others, Trump could use public-private partnerships, as well as private mercenaries for enforcement, as was done in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Ukraine, Sudan and other countries.
In
addition, Trump said at several campaign rallies, "I will invoke the
Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and dismantle every migrant
criminal network operating on American soil." He said he will use the
act to initiate a federal effort called Operation Aurora, directed
against what he terms
"occupations" of cities like Aurora, Colorado. He has also said he will
use it against sanctuary states and cities -– like California,
Colorado, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and many more in all parts
of the country.[1]
Such actions will target state and city officials and their authority
and are meant to strengthen federal dictate and command over policing
forces. It is also the case that it could be used to brand such
officials as those who are protecting "alien enemies," and "criminals."
Taken together with existing laws concerning terrorism and "material
support for terrorism,"
the door is opened wide for presidential targeting of "enemies within"
as Trump repeatedly spoke about.
Despite his many threats and plans, organizations across the country are already gearing up to defend the rights of immigrants and refugees, continuing to demand that all detention camps be closed, including Guantanamo. No doubt U.S. rulers have forgotten the militant and revolutionary traditions Mexicans bring to the struggle of the U.S. working class of which they are an integral part and the united stand across the country for the rights of all. As many actions have said, No Crimes Against Humanity in Our Communities!
May Day migrant rights action in 2022 in Milwaukee
Note
1. For a full listing, see: "Map: Sanctuary Cities, Counties and States," Center for Immigration Studies, November 2024.
This article was published in
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/ITN2024/Articles/TI54492.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca