For years, we’ve heard legacy media and conservatives use militaristic language when discussing immigration. Language like “invasion” and “illegal immigrants,” while never defining what defines an “illegal” human, criminalizes immigrants and entire groups of people. Today, we’re seeing the culmination of that rhetoric as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses its broad and overreaching powers to target Black and Latino communities in various cities.
Recently, I reported that Rodney Scott, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner, attended Secretary of the Department of War (DoW, DoD) Pete Hegseth’s lackluster pep rally for military generals. I reached out to CBP several times seeking clarification about his attendance and his agenda. They have yet to respond; however, when I recently asked if Scott was there to lobby generals to participate in the White House’s lawless use of DHS based on a memo from August seeking the military’s participation, they did not deny the assertion.
The memo, originally reported by Greg Sargent of The New Republic, was authored by Philip Hegseth, the Pentagon chief’s younger brother, and senior advisor to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. It reads more like a transcript that includes Scott, Noem, Hegseth, Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), General Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. military’s Northern Command (NORTHCOM), and several other White House advisors.
“A verbal agreement to find places where DoD can detail personnel within ICE and CBP (and vice-versa) to increase information sharing, and specifically support nationwide operational planning capabilities,” reads the memo.
In an effort to entice generals, DHS representatives equated immigration with terrorism, an idea more recently presented under President George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9/11. Bush seemed content to rehash rhetoric from 1903 (Anarchist Exclusion Act), World War I (Immigration Act of 1917/1924), and the Cold War era (McCarran-Walter Act of 1952), greatly amplifying feigned national security concerns related to immigration and the border. This, despite none of the 9/11 suspects entering the country via Mexico. Since then, the language used to discuss border-related immigration has become increasingly militaristic.
The Trump White House is all too keen to oblige the false narratives.
“We’ve got Central and South American cartels and gangs trafficking drugs, humans, and terror into American cities at will,” reads the ‘talking points’ section of the memo. “These same Transnational Criminal Organizations have now been designated by this administration as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. That puts this threat on the same plane as having Al Qaeda or ISIS cells and fighters operating freely inside America.”
A statement in the memo saying, “Due to the sensitive nature of the meeting, minimal written policy or background information can be provided in this briefing memo,” highlights just how aware they are of testing the legal lines set by the U.S. Constitution. Despite that awareness, the White House is still pushing the limits, disregarding the law of the land.
“If DoD and DHS are going to be so closely aligned on this homeland mission, meetings like this to set expectations and increase our coordination from the top down and at all levels are crucial,” reads the memo.” If nothing else comes from this meeting, I want us all to come to a common understanding of: what we’re trying to accomplish together, what DHS, CBP, and ICE are up against, and exactly what help they need from DoD, where DoD can best support with personnel and planning, and what limitations we all have.”
The meeting concluded by “emphasizing the urgency” of collaboration between the U.S. military and DHS. While DHS has been granted authority to surveil and collect information on every person in the United States, the U.S. military typically operates on a much more restricted level, limiting it to assisting in border operations under the guise of national security. Many presidents have deployed military assets to the border for so-called national security purposes, but they were used mostly to quell racist right-wing outrage about immigrants.
That racism is now in the highest offices in the country, from state legislatures and the U.S. House and Senate to the Supreme Court and the White House. This has led to federal agents drawing weapons on civilians, unjustifiably shooting them, beating and abusing them, filing false charges against them, and even murdering immigrants either on the streets or in the myriad inhumane detention facilities found all over the country. Still, the White House is not deterred.
“SECDEF Hegseth wants this meeting to be a message to the uniformed side of DoD, emphasizing the urgency of the homeland mission. He wants them to hear from DHS firsthand,” reads the memo. “SECDEF wants to hear exactly what ICE and CBP want assistance with from the DoD. After hearing CBP/ICE needs, SECDEF wants DoD to respond and set expectations for limitations DoD could face,” the memo continued. “YOU should ask how DoD can ensure that legal guidance or directives for assistance to DHS are properly communicated throughout DoD’s chain of command so that commanders on the ground (like in L.A.) have a clear understanding of what activities they’re supposed to be supporting. YOU should ask how DoD is planning to more effectively support DHS during the next instance of “L.A.-type” operations,” the memo concluded.
If you’re wondering why the CBP Commissioner was in attendance at Hegseth’s pep rally for generals, it appears we now know. When asked for a confirmation or denial about whether Scott was there to lobby military leaders, CBP did not respond, but it did not deny it. The White House is employing DHS to play politics with the U.S. Constitution as it attempts to lure the military into its fascist and racist agenda. We can only hope generals balk at the idea.
*The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
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