OrbitOcelot
Well-known member
More than 170 American citizens have been detained by federal immigration officials under an expanded definition of "reasonable suspicion," thanks in large part to a concurring opinion from Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh's vision for this process was straightforward: ICE agents can briefly stop and ask someone about their immigration status. If the person is found to be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present, they are released on the spot. However, in reality, many of these encounters have been anything but brief.
According to a report by ProPublica, which has not been independently verified, hundreds of American citizens have been detained by ICE agents under this expanded definition. Many of these individuals were subjected to prolonged detentions, with some being held for days without access to phones or lawyers. In some cases, they were even handcuffed and held in holding cells overnight.
The report paints a disturbing picture of the lengths to which ICE agents will go to detain people suspected of being undocumented immigrants. Americans have been tackled, beaten, tased, and shot by these agents, and some were even detained while pregnant or while wearing only underwear in freezing temperatures.
A total of nearly 20 children, including two with serious medical conditions, were among the citizens detained under this expanded definition. The report acknowledges that this tally is likely incomplete, but it's clear that hundreds more are at risk of being swept up in this expanded policy.
Kavanaugh's concurring opinion has been hailed by some as a simple and efficient solution to immigration enforcement. However, for those who have experienced firsthand the harsh realities of these detentions, the process is anything but brief or painless.
Kavanaugh's vision for this process was straightforward: ICE agents can briefly stop and ask someone about their immigration status. If the person is found to be a U.S. citizen or lawfully present, they are released on the spot. However, in reality, many of these encounters have been anything but brief.
According to a report by ProPublica, which has not been independently verified, hundreds of American citizens have been detained by ICE agents under this expanded definition. Many of these individuals were subjected to prolonged detentions, with some being held for days without access to phones or lawyers. In some cases, they were even handcuffed and held in holding cells overnight.
The report paints a disturbing picture of the lengths to which ICE agents will go to detain people suspected of being undocumented immigrants. Americans have been tackled, beaten, tased, and shot by these agents, and some were even detained while pregnant or while wearing only underwear in freezing temperatures.
A total of nearly 20 children, including two with serious medical conditions, were among the citizens detained under this expanded definition. The report acknowledges that this tally is likely incomplete, but it's clear that hundreds more are at risk of being swept up in this expanded policy.
Kavanaugh's concurring opinion has been hailed by some as a simple and efficient solution to immigration enforcement. However, for those who have experienced firsthand the harsh realities of these detentions, the process is anything but brief or painless.
This is just getting out of hand! I mean, I get it, we need to keep our borders secure, but come on, how are we gonna trust our own people if they can just be tossed aside like that? 
And what's with the lack of access to phones or lawyers during these detentions? It's like they're assuming everyone's guilty until proven innocent. That's not justice, dude! 
I'm all for making sure our borders are secure, but let's do it in a way that doesn't strip away basic human rights. Like, what even is the criteria here anyway? Who gets to decide who's a "reasonable suspicion"? It just seems like a recipe for disaster to me. 
ICE agents just grabbing people on the street and holding them for days without any rights? what r we even doing? its not fair to ppl who are just trying to live their lives. this convo with SC justice Brett Kavanaugh has to be re-thought ASAP!
and handcuffed overnight? no thanks. i don't think "efficient" is even a word for this kind of thing. newsflash: being suspected of being undocumented doesn't mean you're guilty just because u look suspicious 
it's just heartbreaking. Kavanaugh's opinion might be trying to simplify things but for those affected, it's like living nightmare 
we need more empathy and understanding in our law enforcement system. these people are our neighbors, friends, and family members! 
let's try to treat each other with kindness and respect, even when we disagree 
i mean i get it we gotta keep our borders safe and all that but handcuffing ppl and holding them in cells without phones or lawyers? that's just crazy! 
and what about the kids?? nearly 20 of them were detained under this policy? thats just heartbreaking! 
It's absolute madness and I'm not buying it for one second! 
The fact that these innocent people were subjected to physical and emotional abuse, including being handcuffed and held in holding cells overnight... it's just TOO MUCH!!! 
And don't even get me started on the women who were detained while PREGNANT 
or wearing only underwear in FREEZING TEMPERATURES 
. I mean, what's next? Stopping everyone on the street to ask about their status? 
It sounds like a recipe for abuse and I'm not buying it 
. How many more Americans need to get hurt before we take action? 
Those reports of people being tackled, beaten, tased... it's just ridiculous 
. Can't we find a better way to enforce our borders without traumatizing innocent civilians? 
. They're talking about "reasonable suspicion" here, which sounds super vague to me 
This is just plain ridiculous. How many people have to be detained before we say this policy needs a serious overhaul? 
. I mean, who gets detained for days without a phone or lawyer? It's like, basic human rights are being disregarded here 
. It's like they're using some kind of formula to guess whether someone's a U.S. citizen or not... what's the point of that? 
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. The fact that hundreds of American citizens have been detained under this expanded definition is just mind-blowing. And for what? So we can "enforce" our laws more efficiently? I don't get it, tbh 
. We should be protecting people's rights, not violating them on a whim.
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And what's with this expanded definition of "reasonable suspicion"? It sounds like a recipe for abuse. I mean, who gets stopped and asked about their immigration status on the street? Not me, that's for sure. 
I'm not saying there aren't any undocumented immigrants out there, but do we really need to detain law-abiding American citizens too? I think this is just another example of how our immigration system has been hijacked by special interests... 