4um: U.S. Detention Centers are Part of Long-Term DHS Plan: "ENDGAME," Part I

Title: U.S. Detention Centers are Part of Long-Term DHS Plan: "ENDGAME," Part I
Source: Daily Kos
URL Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/30/74155/1739
Published: Sep 30, 2007
Author: Residentcynic
Post Date: 2007-09-30 12:21:35 by Zipporah
Keywords: None
Views: 1454
Comments: 113

by Residentcynic [Subscribe]

Sun Sep 30, 2007 at 04:41:55 AM PDT

ENDGAME is the policy executed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its sub-agencies, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Office of Detention and Removal (DRO), that is part of a sweeping 10-year plan (2002-2012) to: 1) apprehend, 2) incarcerate (detain), 3) "process"—(investigate and question), and 4) remove all removable aliens or potential terrorists. The order of apprehension to removal is literal, as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under DHS shifted the traditionally two-pronged approach of 1)investigation, 2)detention-removal to a one-pronged approach in 2000: detention-first and "process" the person while incarcerated. (p. 2-7 of ENDGAME document)

This is especially troubling, as the detention-removal prong was originally set up for aliens who had committed crimes. According to ICE, the investigation prong was discarded in 2000 because incarcerating first "reduce[s] potential demand for detention space, save[s] money,"increase[s] public safety, reduce[s] the potential for future crimes, and enhance[s] the welfare of our society." (2-7)

In 2000, 2004, and most recently on January 22, 2006, DHS awarded Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) a contingency contract from DHS. The 2006 contract gave KBR $385 million "to establish temporary detention and processing capabilities to expand existing ICE Detention and Removal Operations Program facilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the U.S.,or to support the rapid development of new programs."

Two weeks later, on Feb. 6, 2006, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, "announced that the Fiscal Year 2007 federal budget would allocate over $400 million to add 6,700 additional detention beds. This $400 million allocation is more than a four-fold increase over the FY 2006 budget, which provided only $90 million for the same purpose." The contract accomodates "up to 20,000 refugees from environmental and political disasters. A future expansion in 2008 calls for another 20,000 beds."

Four hundred million dollars and 40,000+ beds is certainly a bizarre way to save money and improve efficiency, no? Further, the contingency in the contract provides that KBR gets paid well before an "immigrant emergency" happens, and funds KBR even if an emergency doesn't occur. Representative Henry A. Waxman, (D-CA), called the contract "worrisome."

"With Halliburton's ever expanding track record of overcharging, it's hard to believe that the administration has decided to entrust Halliburton with even more taxpayer dollars," Mr. Waxman said. "With each new contract, the need for real oversight grows."

If KBR building enough detention centers by the end of this year to incarcerate 20,000+ people, and another 20,000 by 2008, isn’t enough to give one pause, the spokespeople should:

"A spokesman for the [Army Corps of Engineers, who issued the bid], Clayton Church, said that the centers could be at unused military sites or temporary structures and that each one would hold up to 5,000 people." He also claimed the reason for the centers were to "feed, house, and protect" the immigrants.

(Perhaps the 30 bases that Rumsfeld decommissioned just weeks after the 9-11 attacks are what they have in mind.)

A spokeswoman for ICE, Jamie Zuieback, said:

"KBR would build the centers only in an emergency like the one when thousands of Cubans floated on rafts to the United States."

She emphasized that the centers might never be built if such an emergency did not arise.

"It's the type of contract that could be used in some kind of mass migration" Ms. Zuieback said.

Mass migration into the United States? The same United States that deports "potential terrorists" to Guantanamo and other far flung renditions? Sorry, I don’t buy it. I believe ENDGAME's program "is designed to house additional detainees who have not been convicted of crimes."

Attorney Ahilan Arulanantham with the ACLU of Southern California told AlterNet":

"Obviously, if the government's intentions are to care for refugees displaced by a natural disaster, we have no problem with that. But with the numbers of detentions, which have exploded since 1996 and more so after Sept. 11 -- and remember after 9/11, the government detained over 1,000 people in New York City, none of whom were linked to terrorist activity -- based on stories like these, we fear that their program could victimize people fleeing persecution or calamity, the very people that the program is designed to help."

BACKGROUND:

Not surprisingly, the original highly classified version of ENDGAME began during the Reagan administration, and was called "Continuity of Government" or COG. The planners included Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld when Cheney was a congressman for Wyoming and Rumsfeld was former defense secretary under Gerald Ford, and CEO of G.D. Serle, a pharmaceutical company.

"Under it U.S. officials furtively carried out detailed planning exercises for keeping the federal government running during and after a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The program called for setting aside the legal rules for presidential succession in some circumstances, in favor of a secret procedure for putting in place a new "President" and his staff. The idea was to concentrate on speed, to preserve "continuity of government," and to avoid cumbersome procedures; the speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the rest of Congress would play a greatly diminished role."

"COG proposals included vastly expanded detention capabilities, warrantless eavesdropping and detention, and preparations for greater use of martial law. These men planned for suspension of the Constitution, not just after nuclear attack, but for any "national security emergency," which they defined in Executive Order 12656 of 1988 as: 'Any occurrence, including natural disaster, military attack, technological or other emergency, that seriously degrades or seriously threatens the national security of the United States.'"

COG was made official in 2002 as a Commission, and is "an American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution project, funded by the Carnegie, Hewlett, Packard, and MacArthur Foundations." President Jimmy Carter is the honorary chairman and Lloyd Cutler and Alan Simpson are the commission's co-chairs; its members include Newt Gingrich, Leon Panetta, Jamie Gorelick, and other notables. On the website, the introduction describes its reason for existence:

"September 11th raised the possibility that foreign enemies might seriously disrupt the filling of vacancies in Congress, presidential succession, and achieving a quorum for the Court so much so that our basic institutions might not function in a normal constitutional manner."

According to the Washington Post and the 9-11 Commission Report, Vice President Cheney implemented a COG plan in the form of a "shadow government" by the new name of "Continuity of Operations Plan" (COP) immediately after 9-11, which dispatched "100 senior civilian managers to live and work secretly outside Washington, activating for the first time long-standing plans to ensure survival of federal rule after catastrophic attack on the nation's capital." The extent of their operation has never been reported. (Also reported on CBS News and CNN.)

Although I don’t agree with his platform, Rep. Ron Paul has this to say about COG and its Commision:

The "Continuity of Government Commission" (COGC), spearheaded by the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, recently issued proposals for the operation of Congress following a catastrophic terrorist attack. Specifically, COGC advocates a constitutional amendment calling for the appointment of individuals to the House of Representatives to fill the seats of dead or incapacitated members, a first in American history. An examination of the proposal reveals that it is both unnecessary and dangerous.

Note that COGC is "self-commissioned," its members being neither elected nor appointed by any government body. The biographies of the commissioners demonstrate that COGC is made up mostly of professional lobbyists. Of course COGC is well-intentioned, but the nation should know exactly who is trying to substitute their wisdom for that of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and other framers of the Constitution. I think most Americans would prefer that proposals to amend the Constitution come from elected lawmakers or grassroots efforts, not from think tanks and lobbyists.

One reading the COGC proposal cannot help but sense the familiar Washington conceit at work, a conceit that sees America as totally dependent on the workings of Capitol Hill. It is simply unthinkable to many in Washington that the American people might survive a period in which Congress did not pass any new laws. But the truth is that the federal state is not America. The American people have always been remarkably resilient in the face of emergencies, and individual states are far more equipped to deal with emergencies and fill congressional vacancies than COGC imagines.

In summary, ENDGAME is the second phase of a Reagan-era program, COG, furthered by Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld to thwart the constitutional process of succession in case of an national emergency or disaster. ENDGAME is now aligned with the immigration arm of government, and also terrorism. It's goal, or "endgame" is to round up and detain "all" deportable aliens or "potential terrorists" before 2012, some 12 million is a conservative estimate. A heady feat, but well on its way with a $400 million contingency contract awarded to Halliburton's subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown, and Root by the Department of Homeland Security.

If it weren't for everything we've been through these last six years, I wouldn't believe these programs were legitimate. Unfortunately, they are. This isn't the America I know, this is fascism.

I plan on doing another diary, a Part II, in the next week or two, which will detail current ICE abuses and immigration issues. This walk has become a marathon, and I don't want to abscond anyone else's material. BTW, I searched the terms, "ENDGAME" "Detention Centers" "COG" and "KBR" and didn't come up with any diaries on these subjects. Apologies if I repeated anyone's material.

A final note: I tried to keep personal commentary to a minimum (hard!) to let the facts speak for themselves.

Thanks for reading,
RC

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

When the US invades Canada maybe the whole America-is-turning-into-Nazi-Germany could be taken seriously.

No one is..... EXCEPT.... the United States government which has passed countless laws incouraging more and more illegal aliens to enter the United States. And then granting those same illegals countless benefits for coming and STAYING within the United States.

And these changes in the law started in 1965. I have posted all of the info about this several times in the thread on immigration.

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

Oh so let me guess... this whole detention camp thing is being set up for US CITIZENS!!!

..what is plain to see which eludes some.. is that this is a Pandoras Box.. and if some unnamed mental midgets would take the time to THINK which apparently is either not an option or is impossible, one would see that this is about far more than about illegal aliens.. that is why I posted the video.. the video speaks of internal strife ..pitting one group against another.. public opinion reveals that most Americans are very upset about illegal immigration and would think this is a good idea.. as shown by some here.. but dont have the ability to see beyond their own nose..

There is no money in a tyrannical police state but there is lots and lots of money in an economy driven by consumerism.

Yep. Considering we incarcerate far more people then any other country, taunt away, brain dead boy.

Because the rest of us see the big picture. The one where 'state of emergencies' are declared and pesky, troublesome activists -- such as Truthers - - are rounded up, and this policy base that keeps way to many people incarcerated as it is is notched up to a whole new level.

Most of us here at 4UM see through the base of deception and lies you work to preserve.

Thesis: Official 9/11 story is an unproven conspiracy theory. http://911truth.org http://Justicefor911.org http://summeroftruth.org Probable-cause standards have been met for an unlimited investigation of unsolved crimes relating to the events of Sept. 11, including allegations of criminal negligence, cover-up, complicity or commission of the attacks by US officials and assets of intel services.

We are more interested in the truth, and the way things actually are. This scares people like you.

Perhaps you are in the wrong place. You should waste more of your time in lie pits such as LP.

hes ignorant regarding history.. look at the Soviet Union.. and Red China.. who did they intern first? Anyone with ANY capacity whatsoever for logic can see it.. so its an utter waste of time attempting to have any exchange with one who choses ignorance...

As I said b/f you have NO clue.. how old are you anyway? .. Im beginning to wonder if youre not some 14 year old sitting at the computer while your mom yells at you to clean your room ..is that where you got the name Mr. Clean? ..

Well, one thing the camps will be good for is to intern the administration, the henchmen, the blackwater employees, goverment minions, airport security, other government workers, AND, shills like the dumbass until their trials and convictions for treason.

"I wish for a bright future for all human beings and the dawn of the liberation of and freedom for all humans, and the rule of love and affection all around the world, as well as the elimination of oppression, hatred, and violence, a wish which I expect will be realized in the near future". -- MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD

well.. I agree and disagree.. it is about the rich getting richer.. unfettered capitalism.. the world is full of consumers..and if those who balk or question are put out of the picture all the better ..and the interment camps are big business as well.. consider how much is being spent on them.. what it takes to maintain them.. feed the people who are interred ..it goes on and on...

Spare human parts. Medical experimentation. Gladiator type games putting osteo gramma in the ring with pit bulls. Entertainment and Health TV will have a purchase button. Get me that eyeball. I'd like some ground 'Chuck'.

How many detention camps are up and running and how many "patriots" and "truthers" are in them?

Quite a few. Many are incarcerated with having committed offenses that are only offenses to flank and take out target populations. Such as the laws against a relatively harmless, even beneficial plant such as cannabis.

I myself have been arrested doing cop watch during unconstitutional harassment of people on the street, and during peaceful and non-violent civil disobedience.

Your dog and pony show answer is faulty as yes indeed, there are political prisoners, and we all are subject now under Bush to arrest we cannot undo as Habeas Corpus under him is no more.

And Der Department of Homeland inSecurity is in a modus wherein they can act instantaneously to redefine as terrorist any legitimate dissent that inconveniences and angers the power elite.

So potheads and pot dealers are the "patriots" and "truthers" being held in detention camps?

It makes as much sense to jail cannabis users as it does people who drink martinis and other alcoholic libations. Alcohol and tobacco are far more dangerous then cannabis ever could be at best.

People who occasionally smoke cannabis are fine, so yes, this is an oppression, one that serves to target the high percentage of people in that demographic group that are part of the group of people folks like you and those you defend are really after.

It is only allegedly funny to you because your purpose is burring and obscuring what is truly happening in this country.

(I also note you take no effort to address what you know is indefensible; the gutting of Habeas Corpus and the oppression bad laws like the Patriot Act serves. This is par for the course with a bozo like you.

People in this country are getting dumber and dumber and believing in more and more idiotic crap.

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

When the US ~~invades~~ joins Mèxico and Canada in the North American Union maybe the whole ~~America~~ United States-is-turning-into- Nazi-Germany could be taken seriously.

NOW the sentance makes sense. Also shows how ridiculous is your idea about so- called illegal aliens, when the entire plan is to have them within the United States.

You should be careful how you use America and the United States, cause the two terms are not interchangeable, according to the US Supreme Court, that is. Two separate jurisdications.

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

I am curious as to where you learned about debating? Or, do you simply enjoy giving totally disconnected answers?

What does your comment have to do with the deliberate changes made in immigration laws by the United States government starting in 1965? What does your comment have to do with the refusal of the United States government, over the last 40 years, to enforce the countless laws on the books about illegal aliens working within the US?

Or, possibly, are you bi-polor? Or, is it that you simply can not read and comprehend? Personally, from seeing a few of your posts, I vote for the last.

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

No, Zip, that ain't it. No one can be that disconnected unless it is deliberate. There is too much good info posted in 4um by many different people, and those who ignore that info and refuse to acknowledge that there is a serious problem are doing so deliberately.

In other words, it is not ignorance or an accident; it is deliberate dis- information. There is no other answer. Such people are a part of what is revealed in the video.

When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.