by Jonathan Krall
This week’s flimflam Exhibit A is a poll in the Alexandria Times (scroll down to find the poll). They ask, “Do you think the Sheriff’s Office should cooperate with ICE?” and give us four answers to select from: Yes, Only if judicial warrants are provided, No, and I’m not sure. Because you, Alexandrian reader, are probably smarter than average, you have probably already noticed that the “no” vote will be split between “No” and “Only if judicial warrants are provided.” Thus, the bias of the Alexandria Times is once again revealed. The correct answer is “No.”
Requested action: Please visit https://alextimes.com/, scroll down to find the poll, select “No,” and submit your answer. (Thanks!)
Background: ICE is not a government agency deserving of our respect, support, or cooperation. No one should cooperate with ICE. When life or liberty are at stake, people might obey ICE, but obedience is not cooperation. Advocates are asking that Sheriff Casey only obey ICE when a judge, via a judicial warrant, forces him to do so.
And the flimflam doesn’t stop there! In the past few weeks, while advocates and city council talk about “ICE administrative warrants” and “judicial warrants,” Sheriff Casey invokes “lawful warrants” and “federal warrants.”
All this reminds us of a bit from comedian George Carlin: “Flammable, inflammable, and nonflammable… Why are there three? Don’t you think that two ought to serve the purpose? I mean either the thing flams or it doesn’t!”
The key distinction is between an “ICE administrative warrant,” a form that might be filled out by any of the weird little guys currently being recruited by ICE, and a “judicial warrant,” a warrant issued by an actual judge presiding over an actual criminal court. Those other terms are flimflam, whether they flam or not.
The mission of Grassroots Alexandria, or the part of our mission that inspires me personally, is support for democracy. We encourage democratic practice beyond the few things (voting, donating) that the establishment tells us to do. When we build our skills, when we practice democracy as a daily, weekly, or monthly habit, we make our democracy stronger. We make our community a better, kinder, more beautiful place to live. Sadly, the more we read and listen, the more we notice the flimflam. With practice, we can better see past it, better see each other, and see that we have a community worth fighting for.
The poll seems to be broken (some people can’t take “no” for an answer).
If the Alexandria Times web site repeatedly produces error messages when you respond to the poll, please consider reaching out to them. The Alexandria Times can be emailed at questions@alextimes.com or called 703-739-0001.
https://alextimes.com/about-us/contact/
More arguing over language!
https://aboutalexandria.substack.com/p/are-the-city-council-and-sheriff
Responses:
– Fairfax has transferred many fewer people than Alexandria. We should follow their example.
– The law is not all bright lines and clear boundaries. The Sheriff can facilitate release on a “release date” as quickly as possible and thereby let the person go. Instead he is holding the person all day to give ICE a chance to get them. If he instead facilitated their release, he would be disobeying the detainer (as everyone agrees he is allowed to do) and he would avoid disobeying a warrant (because the person isn’t in the jail anymore).
– In public, such as at a recent Del Ray Citizen’s Association meeting, Casey said he will not follow the Fairfax example, citing an example of a person released who later committed a crime. The idea that we should maximize incarceration so as to avoid crime is the logic of mass incarceration. This is why the USA, with 4% of the world’s population, has 20% of the world’s prisoners. Mass incarceration damages communities and is measurably racist. Alexandria, like all communities, should oppose mass incarceration.