Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
4. Detainment Camps
5. End Notes
1. Executive Summary
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous detainment camps
throughout the United States. Some camps have been recently constructed and / or renovated
and are fully staffed. The existence of the camps coupled with Presidential Executive
Orders giving the President and Department of Homeland Security (of which FEMA is
now part) control over ‘national essential functions’ in the event of ‘catastrophic
emergency’ have resulted in concerns that the camps will be used to forcefully detain
American citizens for unconstitutional purposes.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
History
FEMA was created on April 1, 1979 pursuant to President Jimmy Carter’s Executive Order
12127. It amalgamated the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention
and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program,
the Federal Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration
activities formerly carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
It also took over Civil Defense from the Department of Defense, which was in charge
of preparing citizens for military attack. [1]
In 1993 Bill Clinton turned the directorship of FEMA into a Cabinet position. In 2003
FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and
Response Directorate. [2]
Stated Purpose
The stated purpose of FEMA is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect
the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other
man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive
emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.”
[3]
Recent Operations
FEMA’s most notable large-scale operation in recent times was in the aftermath of
August 2005 hurricane Katrina, which occurred along the north-central Gulf Coast,
particularly affecting New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA’s response to the disaster was
widely criticized due to a slow and inadequate response, blocking external private
and public assistance from individuals and groups including the Red Cross, [4] banning
photographs of the dead [5] and confiscating reporter’s equipment [6] and homeowner’s
registered firearms. [7]
The 2006 Congressional report on FEMA’s handling of Katrina stated that it was "…
a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the
common welfare," [8]
Criticisms
Some have criticized FEMA’s failure as being due to is focus on ‘civil defense’ continuity
of government and terrorism response programs to the detriment of its natural disaster
response readiness. It is further alleged that hurricane Katrina was used to test
run of a continuity of government program, allowing FEMA to rehearse rounding up and
relocating large numbers of people to camps, suspending their constitutional rights
and militarizing the region [9] with the help of private military contractors (mercenaries).
Black Water USA, a private security company, was used in the aftermath of Katrina.
[10]
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
REX-84 and Operation Garden Plot
Readiness Exercise 1984 (REX-84) is an emergency response program
involving the implementation of martial law, the movement of civilian populations
and the arrest and detainment of segments of the population. A rehearsal of the program
was carried out April 5-13, 1984. It was led by FEMA and the Department of Defense
and involved the coordination of 34 other Federal departments and agencies. [11] REX-84
was mentioned during the Iran-Contra hearings [12] and publicly exposed by the Miami
Herald on Sunday July 5th, 1987. [13]
Similar large-scale emergency preparedness drills have taken place regularly since
then. The most recently announced, organized by NORTHCOM, are scheduled for October
15-20. [14] Some assert that the drills continue to include preparations for the suspension
of the Constitution and the implementation of martial law. [15]
Operation Garden Plot is a United States Army and National Guard
program under control of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide Federal military
support during domestic civil disturbances. One example of the program’s implementation
was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when US Army and Marine forces were used in
conjunction with the California National Guard. [16] In Los Angeles an Executive Order
was made to permit the use of the Federal army to uphold domestic laws pursuant to
the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which places restrictions on the domestic use of the
military for law enforcement purposes. [17]
Recently, however, Section 1076 Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization
Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) has amended Posse Comitatus and The Insurrection Act (which
also places limits on domestic military deployment) to allow the Federal government
to unilaterally take control of state National Guards and position Federal troops
anywhere in the country during a ‘public emergency’. [18]
Executive Orders
Throughout the 1960s numerous Presidential Executive Orders were issued authorizing
Federal agencies to take over essential functions in the case of a declared emergency.
The powers include, among many others, the authority of the Federal government to
take over transportation infrastructure including highways and seaports (10990), food
resources and farms (10998) and mobilize citizens into government supervised work
brigades (11000). [19]
On May 9, 2007 President George Bush reasserted the role of the Federal government
during a declared emergency by issuing Executive Order NSPD 51/ HSPD-20. The Order
states that in the event of a ‘catastrophic emergency’ all ‘national essential functions’
may be taken over by the Executive branch of government and the Department of Homeland
Security (including FEMA). [20]
4. Detainment Camps
Developments and Construction
In August 2002, then Attorney General John Ashcroft called for American citizens who
are deemed ‘enemy combatants’ to be detained indefinitely without charge and independently
of the judiciary. [21] This legal position was upheld in the case of a US citizen
detained abroad by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a January 2003 ruling.
[22]
In October 2006 the Military Commissions Act was passed by Congress. [23] The legislation
applies to non-US citizens and permits individuals labeled as ‘enemy combatants’ to
be imprisoned indefinitely and without charge. It also denies non-military tribunal
judicial review of detainment (Section 7), disregards international treaties such
as the Geneva Convention, and states that it is the President who defines what constitutes
torture (Sections 5 & 6).
In January of 2007 the American Civil Liberties Union released a report based on documents
obtained by a Freedom of Information Act suit showing that the Pentagon had monitored
at least “186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than
2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.” [24]
For some time FEMA has been renovating and constructing new detention camps throughout
the country. In January 2006 Haliburton subsidiary KBR announced that it had been
awarded an “indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract to construct detention
facilities for the Department of Homeland Security worth a maximum of $385 million
over 5 years. [25]
Stated Purpose
Little has been said about the purpose of the detainment camps but when official comment
has been made it has stated that the camps are for the temporary detainment of illegal
immigrants. [26]
Quantity and Locations
Citizens who are concerned about the purpose and potential use of the detainment camps
have documented and, when possible, filmed the detainment facilities. A current estimate
of the number of detainment camps is over 800 located in all regions of the United
States with varying maximum capacities. [27] If one includes government buildings
currently used for other purposes the number is far greater. Video of renovated but
empty detainment camps has also been released. [28]
5. End Notes
[1] Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12127.htm.