The article compares the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation regime to Guantanamo Bay, revealing both frightening similarities and notable differences. The author reflects on their experience representing detainees at Guantanamo, where individuals were often wrongfully detained without hearings or due process. The systematic demonization of detainees facilitated the government's narrative and shaped public perception, often leading lawyers to initially view their clients as monsters. Over time, it became clear that mistaken detentions were common, not exceptions. The article ultimately serves as a critique of how both systems bypass justice in the name of national security.
The systematic demonization of detainees at Guantanamo was critical to the denials of any hearing to them, leading many lawyers to believe their clients were monsters.
Despite the dramatic perp walk of the initial detainees, very few actual terrorists were among them, highlighting the failures in the government’s assessment of threats.
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