Washington — Washington (AFP) – Dirt bag process In Florida. practical catahoula Crunch, Also known as swamp sweep, In Louisiana. Fishing today In Maine.
The Department of Homeland Security’s approach to naming law enforcement operations related to immigrants, accompanied by a sharp, sometimes sarcastic tone, in its official statements, provokes polarized opinions: Are the names funny or offensive? Reactions often depend on political affiliation and support for operations that largely target black and people of color communities.
Congressman Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat from California, told The Associated Press that the names send a message that immigrants in the United States are “subhuman.”
“That’s why they have those disgusting names,” said Gomez, a member of the House Intelligence Committee. Administration officials “don’t even use that kind of language when they conduct operations around the world to deal with some of the worst terrorists imaginable.”
But Congressman Brandon Gill believes the names show that President Donald Trump is not kidding about curbing illegal immigration and securing the border.
“I think all it does is tell them we’re still serious about this,” the Texas Republican said. “We’re serious about keeping the border secure. We’re serious about deporting illegal aliens.”
Historically, the names of sensitive US military operations were not catchy proper names, but rather something benign. In wartime, operational names were names that could easily guide people without arousing suspicion if spies overheard them or saw them on paper, said Michael O’Hanlon, director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution and author of several books on American military history and defense strategy. He cited World War II-era plans such as Operation Market Garden and Operation Torch as examples.
In the modern era, process code names represent an opportunity for management to present a picture of how the task is going. For example, President George W. Bush often based the names of operations on themes related to freedom. Operational names are also an opportunity to be a “victory dance.” The Trump administration launches its blitzkrieg bombing campaign on Iran in 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer.
“Sometimes when they know they’re going to win and they want to brandish their political interests, they sometimes use kind of an arrogant name like ‘Absolute Resolve,’ which is just to convey that bravado,” O’Hanlon said. “But, if you’re not sure what the expectations are, try using a more general or nondescript name so no one can tell what the assignment will look like if they hear about it beforehand.”
He added that in the case of recent immigration raids, the names indicate “their motives, their purpose, and therefore their justifications.”
Management also gave Immigration detention facilities The same treatment, including ” Slammer Motorcycle Racing in Indiana, the Cornhusker Clinic in Nebraska, and Alcatraz crocodile “and” Migration repository ” in Florida. They were the basis of internet memes and online merchandise.
“It seems like they are just trying to market their products Detention centers “In a trolling way,” said Hector Diaz, a Miami immigration attorney who has represented more than two dozen Hispanic clients detained in Florida.
Today’s catch, which It concluded in Maine last monthsparked an immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers when the name was first announced. Congresswoman Chelly Pingree called the branding “racist and insulting” to Maine residents in general and the state’s immigrant communities in particular.
“It’s a sick joke,” Pingree said in a social media post.
Sheena Bellows, Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State who is also running for governor, condemned the “bizarrely named operation,” warning that the Trump administration’s actions and messaging had frozen business and civic life in the state.
“When ICE agents patrol the streets and arrest and imprison people wrongly, people are afraid to come out,” Bellows told the AP.
Democratic state Sen. Joe Baldacci agreed: “This is not a restaurant menu special. This is people’s lives.”
The names of the migration operations also received backlash because they were inspired by popular culture. In November, the Trump administration tampered with the popular 1952 children’s book “Charlotte’s Web” by E. B. White When the immigration campaign was launched in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the same title. Martha White said her grandfather, the author, hated the reference because he “believed in the rule of law and due process.”
And the names keep coming, even after some Trump officials suggested that the conduct of federal agents could be restricted in the wake of the deadly shootings of US citizens. Rene is good and Alex Pretty In Minnesota and allegations Other misconduct by Federal immigration officers.
Some of the president’s supporters rejected criticism of the Trump administration’s rhetoric, describing it as going beyond the essence of the immigration debate.
“Complaining about the name of the operation is a ridiculous distraction from the process,” Jason Savage, executive director of the Maine Republican Party, said in an email. Absolute disaster These Democrats have allowed business to happen all over Maine.
During Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ state of the state speech a week ago, she criticized ICE agents for trying to “intimidate and silence” communities. Republican Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham responded by calling for greater support for longtime residents than newcomers to the state.
“There’s been a lot of care and support, of course, around the new Maine people, but the one thing I don’t see is people standing up for the old Maine people and standing up for the Maine people who were here and from here,” Faulkingham said last month during Operation Maine.
Democrats in Congress She promised to conduct investigations behavior and Potential violations by Immigration and customs and Border Patrol officers, and vowed to investigate the agency’s letter and social media posts if this happened Winning control of either chamber this year.
The names of the operations only add to the damage caused by the administration’s “unconstitutional racial profiling and reckless and unaccountable enforcement tactics,” said Debo Gandhi, senior director of immigration policy at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
“America can have secure borders and effective immigration enforcement without the kind of lawless cruelty and chaos we saw from Trump,” Gandhi said.
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Tang reported from Phoenix.
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This story has been corrected to remove misinformation. Congresswoman Chelly Pingree will not run for governor of Maine. her daughter, Hannah Pingree;