ACT: This is Fascism
I was going to bullet point a few definitions to make a short video, but over 50 screenshots in, I realized it needs an accompanying article. #PuttingMyMastersInJewish-ChristianStudiesToUse (kinda). At least, I have some authority on speaking on the topic of Fascism/NAZIs and can provide evidence for my claims.
While I haven’t been down to Delaney Hall yet… I have been following the news, amplifying those whose boots are on the ground, and showing up locally (check out my videos of all the speeches at the recent Rockaway Town Council meeting, many contain first-hand accounts of what is happening there. I’ve called the Governor, the Attorney General, Mayor Baraka- pleading for action other than thug cops creating “protest zones”. Excuse me? The entire country is a first amendment zone. In any case, this is my next effort that I am taking to spread the word. I can’t do everything, but I can do some things.
If you can’t make it down there, here are 6 things you may be able to do, made by Resiste NCIA:
Here’s what I’m going to try to accomplish here today: defining key terms and how to identify them with present-day examples. We will explore:
AiM
Fascism
Gestapo
Concentration camp
Genocide
Let’s get into this. Strap in, this is going to be a long one, but well worth your time.
Since we’re leading into discussing how this is a fascist regime, I’m not going to bury the lead. Let’s look at Trump’s examples of AiM and fascism/NAZI-rhetoric.
Trump blames Leftists for his Fascist Rhetoric [WARNING: video of him speaking]
This dumbass book that exists: Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, Amazon link just for reading reference. Do not effin buy, duh.
FoxNews article on the Democratic “cult of hatred”
CNN: Trump’s hypocritical crusade on violent rhetoric — and the country’s emerging split reality
Wiki excerpt: “In her work on dangerous speech, Susan Benesch defined accusation in a mirror as follows: Claims that members of the target group pose a mortal or existential threat to the audience, aptly dubbed 'accusation in a mirror' ... The speaker accuses the target group of plotting the same harm to the audience that the speaker hopes to incite, thus providing the audience with the collective analogue of the only ironclad defense to homicide: self-defense.”
This is hopefully a simple concept to master that doesn’t require much more explanation from me. I see this all the time from the Right. Mainly, the difference between AiM and “name calling” is the actions that are taken by the speaker. When the Right calls the Left fascists- we have hard evidence of the Right actually being the fascists whereas Leftist/Progressives have little to none. Now, let’s get to showing how this is, in fact, a fascist regime.
14 points of Fascism
I am using this reference for these points that demonstrate the controversial definition of fascism purposefully for two key reasons. First, because it from a university website and leans academic, and second because it was last updated in the early 2000s which deprives it of current-day bias.
These are non-exhaustive examples. There is more evidence out there for each point.
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
“Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.”
Transcript of Trump’s 2025 inaugaration speech about America First
Trump in 2017 talking about America First [WARNING: Trump talking video]
Also worthwhile references to read:
Wiki article on America First as a historic term
NPR article on history of the term America First
FPIF article on the history of America First and the KKK
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
“Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of need. The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.”
Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights: extensive list of Trump admin’s rollbacks of rights
Human Rights Watch: Trump Administration’s Pervasive Attacks on Rights
Amnesty International: Authoritarian practices are eroding human rights
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
“The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.”
Protect Democracy: Trump calls political enemies ‘vermin,’ echoing dictators Hitler, Mussolini
Trump on the “enemy within” [WARNING: Trump speaking]
The Marshall Project: Fact-checking Over 12,000 of Donald Trump’s Quotes About Immigrants
Civil Rights: Trump’s Executive Orders on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Explained
Leadership Conference of Civil and Human Rights: Trump on DEI And Anti-Discrimination Law
Whitehouse.gov: Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization
From the White House’s 2026 US Counterterrorism Guide naming Anti-Fascists as a terror group
MS Now: The Trump administration is waging war on Black Americans
Wikipedia: Racial Views of Donald Trump
Progressive Reform: Trump Administration Actions Against Black Americans Have Deep Historical Roots
Also worth noting:
Protect Democracy: Tracking retaliatory use of arrests, prosecutions, and investigations by the Trump administration
ACLU: Trump's Deportation Flights Under the Alien Enemies Act
BBC: What is the 1798 law that Trump used to deport migrants?
4. Supremacy of the Military
“Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.”
I have to admit- there is just as much evidence of Trump claiming the military is weak as there are claims of his of its supremacy. Nevertheless, it is undebatable that Trump loves to flex military power and aggression both on American citizens and people abroad.
Use the military against American citizens he dubs the “enemy within” [WARNING: Trump talking] and NPR article on this
Department of War: Trump’s strengthening of the military.
Excerpt: “Together, we're reawakening the warrior spirit, and this is a spirit that won and built this nation: from the cavalry that tamed the Great Plains to the ferocious, unyielding power of [Army Gen. George] Patton, [Army Gen. Omar] Bradley and the great [Army] Gen. Douglas MacArthur," Trump said. "In this effort, we're a team. And so, my message to you is very simple: I am with you, I support you, and as president, I have your backs 100%. You'll never see me even waver a little bit." Together over the next few years, we're going to make our military stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer and more powerful than it has ever been before.”
Excerpt: “Together over the next few years, we're going to make our military stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer and more powerful than it has ever been before," he continued.
A stronger military doesn't just mean stronger troops, who are trained and who follow standards, Trump said. It also means having a military that has the best equipment with which to carry out both offensive and defensive operations, including an improved nuclear deterrent, better aircraft and more surface warfare ships and submarines.
"We're investing tens of billions of dollars in modernizing our nuclear deterrence capabilities like never before," the president said. "And we've begun construction on what we call the 'Golden Dome' missile defense shield. It'll be the most sophisticated in the world.”
Whitehorse.gov: “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness”
Time: “I Rebuilt the Military” the “most powerful army world has known.”
Wikipedia: Huge increase in military budget proposals
Excerpt: “In 2026, the Trump administration put forward a proposed United States defense budget for fiscal year 2027 of around $1.5 trillion, marking a noticeable increase compared to previous years. According to official budget documents and reporting by major news outlets, the plan includes expanded funding for naval construction, missile defense systems, artificial intelligence integration, and other advanced military technologies as part of a wider effort to modernize the U.S. armed forces. The proposal has been described as one of the largest defense budget requests in modern U.S. history, with estimates suggesting an increase of roughly 40 percent compared to the previous fiscal year.”
Do you remember DOGE? American Oversight remembers.
5. Rampant Sexism
“The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.”
PBS: Trump has long history of offensive comments about women
The Week: 81 Things Trump Has Said about Women
Excerpt: “You've got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women. If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you're dead. … You've got to be strong. You've got to be aggressive. You've got to push back hard. You've got to deny anything that's said about you. Never admit." [Sept. 2018]”
Whitehouse.gov: Trump is the Most Pro-Life President in History
5-4 Podcast: The Rise and Fall of Roe v. Wade Part 1 | Part 2
Them: Donald Trump’s 10 Worst Attacks on the LGBTQ+ Community
NPR: Supreme Court upholds Trump's ban on transgender military members while appeals continue
Whitehouse.gov: Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports
Was Trump always against LGBTQ+ rights? Everything in his past says no.
Excerpt: “What are the policy outcomes of his presidency?” she asked. “By a mile, if you look at the results of his policies, he is by far, the most anti-LGBTQ president ever.”
LGBTQ Nation: Trump promised “NO MORE DRAG SHOWS” at Kennedy Center
LGBTQ+ Bar: Trump Anti-LGBTQ+ Executive Order Litigation Tracker
6. Controlled Mass Media
“Sometimes the media are directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media are indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.“
PBS: When Trump says 'fake news,' this is what supporters say they hear
PBS: Trump's moves against media outlets mirror authoritarian approaches to silencing dissent
Wikipedia: Donald Trump's conflict with the news media
Excerpt: “More than 600 of Trump's tweets targeted specific news organizations, led by The New York Times, CNN, NBC and MSNBC, Fox News and The Washington Post. He called the Times, among other slurs, "fake," "phony," "nasty," "disgraced," "dumb," "clueless," "stupid," "sad," "failing," and "dying." He characterized the Post as "fake," "crazy," "dishonest," "phony," and "disgraced.”
ACLU: Trump's Attacks on Press Freedom Escalate: NPR, PBS Funding Cuts Explained
RSF: USA: 8 ways Trump is shrinking the space for press freedom – literally
Excerpt: “Donald Trump’s attacks on press freedom often appear to occur in the abstract, through policy and rhetoric. But Trump is also reducing the physical space for journalism. It’s a very basic tactic, but a fundamental hit to press freedom. Just as he wants to control the narrative in print and on the airwaves using government pressure or lawsuits against media outlets, he’s also trying to control the narrative by restricting the press’s access to spaces where crucial decisions are made, avoiding transparency and accountability.”
Washington Monthly: Trump is Trying to Control the Corporate Media. Here’s How You Can Stop Him
Guardian: Jimmy Kimmel on Trump: ‘His list of threats is now longer than Kash Patel’s bar tab’
Newsweek: Trump Calls Out ‘No Talent’ Colbert—Who Didn’t Mention President at All
7. Obsession with National Security
“Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.”
Whitehouse.gov: National Security Strategy
Excerpt: “Over the past nine months, we have brought our nation—and the world-back from the brink of catastrophe and disaster. After four years of weakness, extremism, and deadly failures, my administration has moved with urgency and historic speed to restore American strength at home and abroad, and bring peace and stability to our world.” - Trump
Whitehouse.gov: Strengthen National Security
Excerpt: “President Trump has rebuilt America’s national security by restoring military readiness, modernizing defense capabilities, and securing critical supply chains from foreign dependence. This year, the administration increased operational efficiency, strengthened border-to-battlefield coordination, and ensured the Armed Forces have the resources needed to deter threats worldwide. These actions reinforce U.S. sovereignty, protect the homeland, and ensure America remains the world’s strongest and most capable force.”
CSIS: The National Security Strategy: The Good, the Not So Great, and the Alarm Bells, “The rhetoric in the NSS is deeply troubling and over-the-top in places.”
ACLU: Trump’s Border Wall Obsession Is a Threat to the Southwest Border Region
NPR: $11 Billion And Counting: Trump's Border Wall Would Be The World's Most Costly
CEIP: Unpacking Trump’s National Security Strategy
Excerpt: “The strategy’s call to safeguard domestic “spiritual and cultural health” and to be “unapologetic about our country’s past and present” closely mirrors the language of social control and nationalist mobilization employed by authoritarian rivals.”
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights: President Trump’s Address Uses Fear and Grief to Divide Americans and Distract from His Failure to Present Solutions
Politico: We watched 20 Trump rallies. His racist, anti-immigrant messaging is getting darker
American Immigration Coucil: How The Trump Administration Uses the Power of Government to Make Its Dystopian Propaganda Real
US Senate Committee: FEDERAL FEAR CAMPAIGN: How Trump’s ICE Raids Are Threatening Small Businesses Across America
Politico: Trump's immigration enforcers look into buying ad data. Industry insiders fear what comes next
AIC: Mass Deportation: Analyzing the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Immigrants, Democracy, and America
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
“Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.“
Whitehouse.gov: President Trump Champions Religious Freedom, Unveils America Prays
Whitehouse.gov: America Prays
AU: The White House is politicizing prayer. It’s time to raise our voices
AP: Thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally
Excerpt: “We are deeply concerned that what is really being rededicated is a nation to a very narrow and ideological part of the Christian faith that betrays our nation’s fundamental commitment to religious freedom,” said the Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, a Baptist minister who leads the progressive Christian organization Sojourners.”
Jewish Dems: Donald Trump’s Record on Antisemitism
Wikipedia: Donald Trump and Antisemitism
ACLU: Muslim Ban Timeline
5-4 Podcast: Korematsu v. United States
Excerpt: “What happened was that Trump during his campaign said, I'm going to ban Muslims from entering the country, right, until we can figure out what's going on. And that gets implemented in certain regards, makes its way up to the Court, gets struck down, gets sort of re-jiggered, makes its way back up to the Court, gets struck down. Each time the Trump administration would make it a little less offensive to see if they could get away with it. Eventually, what happens is there's a ban, but it doesn't apply to Muslims per se, it just implements aggressive travel restrictions on people from certain countries, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen. This gets challenged in court because despite the fact that it's no longer a Muslim ban, literally, everyone knew that this was originally the Muslim ban, right, that's the whole point of it.“
AP: Did the founders create a Christian nation?
Excerpt: “President Donald Trump is promoting “ America Prays,” culminating in a May 17 gathering on the National Mall in Washington. Official participants include many Christian organizations and individuals, some who champion the idea of a Christian founding. Cabinet officials are issuing Christian messages in their official capacity. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proclaimed that “America was founded as a Christian nation … in our DNA.”
Whitehouse.gov: Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias
CAP: What the Trump Administration Report on Anti-Christian Bias Gets Wrong
Interfaith Alliance: Christian Leaders Unite to Denounce Trump Administration's ‘Anti-Christian Bias Task Force’
CNN: Trump has chipped away at the long-standing wall between church and state. It’s just the beginning
Vatican News: Pope: ‘If someone criticizes me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully’
Wisconsin Examiner: Some religious leaders say opposition to Trump is a matter of faith
9. Corporate Power is Protected
“The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.“
House Committee on Budget: Trump's Big Ugly Law Steals from the Poor to Give to the Ultra-Rich
NPR: How President Trump’s Wealth has Grown in his Second Term
Senator Reed: Trump Admin. Accidentally Admits It Will Hurt the Poor to Give Bigger Tax Windfall to the Ultra-Wealthy
Americans For Tax Fairness: U.S. BILLIONAIRES GOT $1.5 TRILLION RICHER IN TRUMP’S FIRST YEAR
Joshua Murray: Trumping the People: How the Corporate Elite Benefitted From the Trump Administration
“Donald Trump portrayed himself as a crusader against corrupt elites, claiming he would “drain the swamp.” Corporate elites generally depicted themselves as either trying to work with him or as directly opposed to him. Yet a closer analysis of Trump's policies and their outcomes in key issue areas, from taxes to immigration to the environment, shows continuity with previous pro-corporate policies. Furthermore, by positioning Trump as opposed to the elite, Trump and commentators on his presidency created a “radical flank” effect that made status quo, pro-corporate policies appear as progressive victories. This analysis suggests that a focus on the personal characteristics of politicians is misleading, and that the focus of political discourse needs to be on the power structure that shapes policy outcomes.”
CAP: 7 Ways the Big Beautiful Bill Cuts Taxes for the Rich
Brennan Center for Justice: Fossil Fuel Industry Donors See Major Returns in Trump’s Policies
MSU: How Trump-connected companies profited from his presidency
Mother Jones: Trump Has Been Investing in Companies and Then Pumping Them in His Speeches
THE EPSTEIN FILE COVER UP
There’s too much to say and reference on this topic, but it is clear that the cover up of the Epstein Files is to protect not only Trump, but other powerful people.
Also worth noting:
10. Labor Power is Suppressed
“Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.“
Better in a Union: Project 2025 and Unions
Gov Exec: The twists and turns of Trump’s 2025 war on unions
CAP: The Trump Administration Ended Collective Bargaining for 1 Million Federal Workers
Excerpt: “The Trump administration has launched many attacks on workers—such as cutting the minimum wage for hundreds of thousands of private sector workers—and its latest move targets workers’ right to come together in unions. Workers in the federal government have exercised their collective bargaining rights for decades to improve working conditions at one of America’s biggest employers as well as to enshrine protections for the public they serve. Ending collective bargaining hurts not only workers and unions but also the American public.”
CAP: Trump Just Cut the Minimum Wage for Hundreds of Thousands of Private Sector Workers
AFL-CIO: Donald Trump’s Catastrophic and Devastating Anti-Labor Track Record
IUPAT: Abridged list: the Trump administration’s attacks on working people
NELP: One Hundred Days of Trump Betrayal: The Fight for Workers’ Rights and Our Democracy
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
“Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free _expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.“
Dissent: Is Anti-Intellectualism Ever Good for Democracy?
Excerpt: “Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency and continues to govern as a man who is anti-intellectual, as well as anti-fact and anti-truth. “The experts are terrible,” Trump said while discussing foreign policy during the 2016 campaign. “Look at the mess we’re in with all these experts that we have.”
McGill Daily: How President Trump has Weaponized the Rise of Anti-Intellectualism
Counterpunch: Why Trump is Waging War on Academia
NPR: All the ways the Trump administration is going after colleges and universities
Excerpt: “A federal judge has once again stepped in to block the latest assault on Harvard University by the Trump administration — part of a larger escalation in the conflict between the president and elite colleges.”
NNU: What is All the Buzz About Nursing No Longer Being Designated as a Professional Program?
Loyola Phoenix: Trump Administration Disbars Nursing, Social Work from ‘Professional’ Degree List
PBS: Proposal to declassify nursing as 'professional' threatens ability to secure student loans
Author’s Guild: Trump Administration’s Interference in Artistic and Literary Expression Is Anti-American and Anti-Democratic
PBS: How artists and musicians are responding to Trump’s second term
Excerpt: “Rock legend Bruce Springsteen publicly blasted President Trump and his policies, saying “we’re living through particularly dangerous times." As Trump increasingly targets the arts, artists are faced with the question of whether to speak out or keep their heads down. Jeffrey Brown reports for our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our CANVAS coverage.”
AP: Trump vents about judge who blocked the Kennedy Center renovation and fumes over his legal setbacks
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
“Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.”
ACLU: Trump Promises to Militarize Police, Reincarcerate Thousands, and Expand Death Penalty
Mother Jones: Trump’s Obsession With the Death Penalty Will Culminate Just After the Election
Excerpt: “The Trump administration announced in 2019 that the federal government was resuming its executions. This summer, while the pandemic was still raging and millions of people continued to be forced to upend their normal lives, the DOJ carried out executions for the first time since 2003.”
PBS: 'There's an obsession there,' Comey says of Trump after 2nd indictment
Washington Post: Trump’s approach to crime and punishment is centered on his own power
Marshall Project: What Trump Really Means When He Tweets “LAW & ORDER!!!”
Excerpt: “According to a new Wall Street Journal database that tracks the candidates’ public comments on a wide range of issues, Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have mentioned “law and order” on the stump more than 90 times this year, including seven from Trump in the first presidential debate on Sept. 29. The president even tweeted while hospitalized with COVID-19 earlier this week, “LAW & ORDER. VOTE!”
Prison Policy Initiative: Tracking how the Trump administration is making the criminal legal system worse
Excerpt: “The rule of law and the right to due process are cornerstones of the American criminal legal system. While the country has never fully lived up to the promise of these principles, their imperfect existence is critical to creating a system that is fairer and less harsh. These principles have been under attack.”
Prison Policy Initiative: New Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie report shows effects of Trump’s immigrant detention campaign on incarceration numbers
Ayanna Pressley: TRUMP’S CLEMENCY GAP: HOW TRUMP’S PARDONS ARE IGNORING THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM THE MOST
Excerpt: Within the first year of his term, Trump has exercised his executive clemency authority more frequently than any prior president. However, pardons and commutations have overwhelmingly been granted to white people who support his political views. This approach ignores the crisis of mass incarceration and leaves thousands of people, families, and communities suffering.“
Brennan Center: Project 2025’s Plan for Criminal Justice Under Trump
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
“Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.“
NPR: How Trump's 'crony capitalism' has shaken up U.S. business
Civil Service Strong: FACT SHEET: Trump Puts Cronyism over Competence
Excerpt: “Understand how Donald Trump began his hostile takeover of the federal workforce with a flurry of presidential directives and memoranda aimed at sidelining experts in favor of unqualified and unvetted partisan loyalists.”
CATO: Trump’s Cronyism Is Quietly Unravelling American Capitalism
Brennan Center: A New Era of Crony Capitalism
Excerpt: “Trump’s net worth has grown by $3 billion since he took office. His family businesses are raking in millions in the crypto industry, luxury real estate, and investment deals in the Middle Eas… Brazen grifting now pervades the entire federal government.”
Project Syndicate: The High Cost of Trump’s Crony Diplomacy
Protect Democracy: Tracking retaliatory use of arrests, prosecutions, and investigations by the Trump administration
Brennan Center: Epic Corruption in Plain Sight
ABA: The Trump Administration’s Rampant Pay-to-Play Corruption Threatens Our Democracy
Excerpt: “The Trump administration has exchanged government benefits, appointments, pardons, and policy decisions for financial contributions from wealthy individuals, corporations, and foreign governments, creating an unprecedented pay‑to‑play culture.”
PBS: Trump stock trades fuel accusations of corruption and profiting off presidency
House Committee on Oversight: TRUMP FAMILY DIGITAL GRIFT WEALTH TRACKER
CLC: Tracking the Trump Administration’s Most Corrupt Transactions
14. Fraudulent Elections
“Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.”
Reuters: Trump claims 2020 election 'rigged' at least 107 times in six months as midterms loom
Wikipedia: Post-election lawsuits related to the 2020 U.S. presidential election
PolitiFact: Trump’s new ‘evidence’ that Biden lost in 2020 is ridiculously wrong (and dusty). We reviewed it.
PBS: Fact-checking Trump's false claims about voter fraud and 'rigged' elections
You won’t believe this, but here’s what he’s saying about the 2026 upcoming elections:
Suggested Viewing [WARNING: Trump talking]
These references are starting points for diving into Trump and his regime’s Fascist policies/actions/etc. I wanted to compile all of these topics into one place as I’ve really only seen articles address one at a time.
And you know what our model Fascist regime had that this one does, too? A Gestapo.
ICE is Trump’s Gestapo
First, let’s define our terms. What/who was the Gestapo?
The Gestapo committed widespread atrocities during its existence. The Gestapo was used against the Nazis' political opponents, ideological dissenters (clergy and religious organisations), career criminals, the Sinti and Roma population, handicapped persons, homosexuals, and, above all, Jews. Those arrested by the Gestapo were often held without judicial process, and political prisoners throughout Germany—and from 1941, throughout the occupied territories under the Night and Fog Decree (German: Nacht und Nebel)—simply disappeared while in Gestapo custody. Contrary to popular perception, the Gestapo was actually a relatively small organization with limited surveillance capability; still it proved extremely effective due to the willingness of ordinary Germans to report on fellow citizens. During World War II, the Gestapo played a key role in the Holocaust. After the end of World War II, the Gestapo was declared a criminal organisation by the International Military Tribunal (IMT) at the Nuremberg trials, and several top Gestapo members were sentenced to death.”
Let’s pull out some key features of this organization from this explanation.
Commits widespread atrocities on behalf of regime
Used against minority groups and regime’s political opponents
Those arrested by them were often held without due process
Some of those arrested simply disappeared
Relatively small organization yet effective
Are you seeing the similarities yet? Let’s see if I can find any evidence to illustrate each point. Again, this is a non-exhaustive list and there are many more articles out there for examples.
ICE commits widespread atrocities
Common Dreams: ‘Reign of Terror’: ICE Builds Appalling Record of Killings, Beatings, Kidnappings, and More
AFSC: Detained immigrants continue labor and hunger strike at Delaney Hall
Criminal Legal News: ICE’s Deadly Force Problem: A Culture of Impunity
AP: Several ICE agents were arrested in recent months, showing risk of misconduct
Guardian: ‘Horrific’: report reveals abuse of pregnant women and children at US Ice facilities
Slate: The Stories of ICE’s Brutal Treatment of Children Are Piling Up. The Effects Are Devastating
Emily Randall: USING ICE AGENTS TO KILL PEOPLE IN THE STREETS IS FASCISM
Babylon Bee: ICE's 7 Most Horrifying Atrocities
American Prospect: A Running Count of How Many People ICE Has Killed and Injured
Used against minority groups and regime’s political opponents
Washington Times: EXCLUSIVE: Secret ICE data shows drop in arrests of criminals, surge in arrests of noncriminals
Independent: ICE is sweeping up Native Americans in Minnesota arrests, tribal leaders say: ‘Our citizenship is not negotiable’
InsiderNJ: Protesters Gassed by ICE Outside Delaney Hall, Senator Kim Sprayed
NJ.com: 6 more arrested as ICE, protesters clash outside N.J. detention facility
Those arrested by them were often held without due process
ACLU: The government is denying due process to detained immigrants. We're suing.
NILC: ICE is detaining indiscriminately. And releasing almost no one
Vera: What Does “Due Process” Mean for Immigrants and Why Is It Important?
Immigration and Human Rights: Detained Without Due Process: How ICE’s Pursuit of Efficiency Undermines Human Rights
Some of those arrested simply disappeared
Relatively small organization yet effective
~22,000 employed | DHS: ICE Announces Historic 120% Manpower Increase, Thanks to Recruitment Campaign that Brought in 12,000 Officers and Agents
~60,000 detained | Trace Reports: Immigration Detention Quick Facts
Worth noting:
MPR News: Holocaust educator points to ‘warning signs’ in history when looking at ICE in Minnesota
Left Voice: ICE vs. the Gestapo: A Comparison
They seem to have a lot in common, no? And they’re just getting started.
This naturally leads to my next point…
ICE Detention Centers are Concentration Camps
We shall begin the exercise again. Define the term, then find examples showing the connection.
From Wikipedia:
A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitation or punishment.
I’ve already made the argument above how Trump’s regime uses the excuse of immigrants as a threat to national security, and immigrants make up, more or less, 15% of the US population. Of that, in 2024, 45 percent of U.S. immigrants (22.7 million people) reported having Hispanic or Latino ethnic origins. This means that ICE, who is targeting immigrant Latino/Hispanics, are attacking a group that makes up 6.5% of the US population. A minority group for sure.
Detainees are placed in these so-called detention centers without due process. They are run by for-profit corporations like Geogroup who runs Newark, NJ’s infamous Delaney Hall. As one committed protestor testified at Roxbury’s recent Town Council meeting, these concentration camps require detainees/prisoners to pay for basic needs toilet paper, soap, feminine products, and even showers. They are forced to labor for $1 per day to afford these items.
From Prospect:
GEO Group’s Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, runs on immigrant labor. Detainees cook, clean, and repair the facility for as little as $1 a day and sometimes for nothing at all.
So when 300 migrants imprisoned in Delaney Hall went on a hunger and labor strike last Friday over conditions they likened to physical and mental torture, they were taking aim at GEO Group’s bottom line. Executives at the for-profit public corporation can keep their overhead low and their profits high by hiring as few employees as possible and shifting essential jobs to people who have no choice but to do them for free.
The Conversation has a four point criteria list of what constitutes a concentration camp. Let’s explore if ICE “detention centers” meet these:
Our research confirms that the word “concentration” is critical to describing these camps. Two key criteria of the camps are the concentration of large numbers of targeted civilians into spaces, which are then secured by small numbers of captors who control who enters and exits the camps.
A third criteria we examined identifies concentration camps as “irregular” insofar as they operate outside of legal frameworks that regulate prisons, refugee camps and immigration detention centers. Concentration camps are run by separate authorities that deny detainees due process, such as formal criminal charges, legal representation or a fair trial.
The last criteria we used as we evaluated camps was the presence of squalor and routine violence. Specifically, we looked for evidence that detainees regularly experienced at least two forms of abuse, including but not limited to torture, beatings, mass killing, sexual violence, psychological abuse, lack of food, lack of water, lack of shelter, lack of healthcare, overcrowding and spread of disease.
They go on in their article to review these points and here are their findings:
As scholars, we argue that ICE detention centers meet the criteria for concentration camps. We do so not to be provocative but to provide precise language, rather than euphemisms, so people can heed the warnings of atrocities committed in the past.
Not convinced yet? Here are links to even more articles going in-depth on the fact that these are concentration camps:
Marshall Project: When Do ‘Detention Centers’ Become ‘Concentration Camps’? Experts Look to History
NIJC: Policy Brief | Snapshot of ICE Detention: Inhumane Conditions and Alarming Expansion
A few Delaney Hall links:
Jersey Vindicator: Hundreds of ICE detainees launch hunger and labor strike at Delaney Hall
Finally, as a Jewitch who has studied the Holocaust extensively, I would also like to point out that this Fascist regime is also participating in a….
Genocide in Palestine
Let’s get clear. What is a genocide?
From Wikipedia:
Genocide is the partial or total destruction of a human group, committed intentionally. The popular view conceives of genocide as the large-scale killing of individuals, but in the scholarly and legal fields, genocide occurs when the group itself is targeted. Acts of genocide include killing as well as non-lethal acts such as preventing reproduction among the group, the forcible transfer of children to another group, and cultural genocide.
From Wikipedia:
Article 2 of the Convention defines genocide as:
... any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
If that is not an exact description of what is going on there, I don’t know what is. Let’s get sources to prove the point.
B’Tselem: Our Genocide
Wikipedia: Gaza genocide
Wikipedia: Palestinian genocide allegations
H.Res.876 - Recognizing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza
UN: Report: Gaza Genocide: a collective crime
PMC NCBI NLM NIH: Is it Genocide?
In Conclusion
This is a Fascist Regime
ICE is their Gestapo
Detention centers are Concentration Camps
Israel with the support of Trump’s regime is committing Genocide against Palestine

