A planned “fear interview” for potential deportees that ICE agents detained has turned into a disastrous affair for everyone. The ICE officers have become stranded in an East African country, guarding the deportees inside a shipping container; so far, it appears the US government is having difficulties extracting the ICE agents, with some politicians blaming the Boston judge who permitted the whole operation.
At the time of writing, 11 ICE agents are currently stuck in Djibouti in East Africa inside a shipping container and are possibly under the threat of malaria or even rocket attacks from the nearby Yemen. Initially, the ICE officers were supposed to just guard eight detained immigrants slated for deportation to South Sudan; however, Judge Brian Murphy from Boston, Massachusetts, blocked the deportation attempt since due process was not observed.
Hence, government lawyers requested– as an alternative– that the detainees be held overseas in a Djibouti military base so that the ICE agents guarding them could hold “fear interviews,” or to explain possible persecution from their home country. Hence, the group had to disembark in Djibouti, now housed in converted shipping containers.
“The conference room in which the aliens are housed is not equipped nor suitable for detention of any length, let alone for the detention of high-risk individuals.
Notably, the room has none of the security apparatus necessary for the detention of criminal aliens. If an altercation were to occur, there is no other location on site available to separate the aliens, which further compromises the officers’ safety,” claims ICE official Melissa Harper, transcript courtesy of ABC
The problem is that everyone who landed in Djibouti started feeling ill within 72 hours since they were not given malaria medication, though it’s not clear whether they now have malaria or not. It’s also not clear how long the ICE agents and the detainees are going to be stuck in their shipping containers in Djibouti, but apparently, the US has the authority to extract them should harm befall them.
Trump Administration is Now Blaming Judge Brian Murphy
Despite the government lawyers requesting the detour in Djibouti, it appears the officials in the Trump administration are now blaming US District Judge Brian Murphy for the ICE agents’ predicament. Homeland Security has even chimed in on the matter to criticize Judge Brian Murphy’s decisions.
“This is reprehensible and, quite frankly, pathological. [Judge Purphy is] putting the health and safety of law enforcement officers at risk for the sake of criminals,” according to Tricia McLaughlin of Homeland Security, transcript courtesy of Independent UK.
For the record, US District Judge Brian Murphy was appointed by former President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party and has been accused of being a “far-left activist.” Now, Trump Administration officials are asking the Supreme Court to overrule Judge Murphy’s decision and for ICE to continue deporting migrants to South Sudan.
Meanwhile, those who are not fond of ICE and its oppressive and excessive tactics to detain unarmed individuals were quick to point out how the stranded ICE agents got a taste of their own medicine. Still, they’re seriously going to be needing a different kind of medicine soon due to the ongoing threat of malaria.
“Ice in the ICE Box?,” asks VRGIMP27
“Seems like karma works at least sometimes,” says DomDomW
“I wouldn’t want to wish for their deaths, that would be kinda evil. Although I still ask myself if it was morally acceptable to feel sorry for them if they actually died. I mean, I don’t feel any empathy for the Nazis that died in Stalingrad,” reasons NymusRaed
