The chief federal judge in Minnesota excoriated Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday, saying it had violated nearly 100 court orders stemming from its aggressive crackdown in the state and had disobeyed more judicial directives in January alone than “some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”
Rule of law, huh?
It’s almost like something straight out of the Nazis’ playbook back in Germany: seizing power by abusing the law. Hitler first made use of the so‑called “Reichstag Fire Decree” to undermine fundamental rights and launch a campaign of terror - using violence, mass arrests and intimidation to eliminate political opponents; at least formally, these measures were covered by law.
Subsequently, these and all other heinous crimes committed by the Nazis were rapidly enshrined in legal form, backed by police force and intimidation - for example the “Enabling Act,” which stripped parliament of its powers and allowed the cabinet (in practice controlled by Hitler) to enact laws, even contrary to the constitution.
Overall, it was a takeover that used and even created the appearance of constitutionality, in which the Nazis interpreted and applied the law at their own discretion and enforced it with violence and intimidation. The rest is history.
When I look at the US news since January last year, it all seems very familiar - with a rather insignificant difference being that instead of the Reichstag fire, another staged “emergency,” namely illegal immigration, is being used as a pretext to undermine civil rights…