ICE Fails to Properly Redact Document Proposing ‘Hyper-Realistic’ Urban Warfare Training Facility
United States (CD) – Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency which carries out the bulk of President Donald Trump’s war on immigrants, is building a “hyper-realistic” urban training ground in Fort Benning, Georgia.
The information was revealed in a poorly redacted acquisition form document posted online that was copy and pasted by Newsweek, revealing the camp’s location and details.
“They really are the moron fascists,” tweeted podcast host Michael Brooks.
The proposal calls for the construction of realisitic “residential houses, apartments, hotels, government facilities and commercial buildings.”
“ICE is specifically interested in acquiring a ‘Chicago’ style replica, as well as an ‘Arizona’ style replica, with the agency expecting to dedicate a total estimated value of $961,347.75 to the effort,” Newsweek reported.
Newsweek explained the agency definition of “hyper-realism”:
Hyper-realism, the agency states, is “a critical component to this acquisition as the details provide essential information that must be acknowledged, processed and acted upon to minimize risk to our Special Agents, Deportation Officers and SRT operators during high-risk search and arrest warrants, fugitive operations, undercover operations, hostage rescue, gang operations, etc.”
The proposed facility had social media users sounding the alarm over what the training might mean for the future of the agency.
Why is ICE training to invade American cities? https://t.co/AnV6wApbcN
— Mundo (@MundoOHuigin) September 11, 2019
“Sure feels like ICE is positioning itself to become an all encompassing, no accountability, paramilitary force,” tweeted Erica Johnson, the director of AFSC’s Iowa Immigrant Rights Program. “First they came for the immigrants…”
This report prepared by Eoin Higgins for Common Dreams under a Creative Commons License
