Just when we thought we couldn’t be shocked anymore…
Immigration agents operating near Vail placed branded ace of spades playing cards — similar to “death cards” left on corpses by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War — in cars left behind after immigrants’ arrests this week, an advocacy group alleged.
www.denverpost.com/… (free gift link)
What the actual F*CK???
This happened in Vail / Aspen — where the rich and powerful need the weak and unprotected to serve them. More from the Denver Post:
The cards were stamped with “ICE Denver field office” and the address and phone number for the immigration detention center in Aurora, said Alex Sánchez, the president and CEO of Voces Unidas, a Glenwood Springs-based immigrant-rights advocacy group. The cards were left in several cars abandoned after their occupants were arrested by ICE agents earlier this week in Eagle County, during what Sánchez described as fake traffic stops.
From the local news in Avon, Colorado:
Rumored ICE activity strikes fear in Vail
Businesses shut down, close early due to fear factor
Some history regarding the Ace of Spades:
The ace of spades has a long history as a tool of intimidation, from psychological warfare during the Vietnam War to its adoption by white supremacist groups to demean people of color. ICE’s decision to leave this card behind after targeting Latino workers through fake traffic stops was not incidental. It was deliberate psychological harassment. This is not about public safety. It is about fear and control.
“We are disgusted by ICE’s actions in Eagle County,” said Alex Sánchez, president and CEO of Voces Unidas. “Leaving a racist death card behind after targeting Latino workers is deliberate intimidation rooted in a long history of racial violence. This is an abuse of power, and it has no place in any society that claims to value human dignity.”
NOTE: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said via email Friday that ICE is investigating the situation and “unequivocally condemns this type of action and/or officer conduct.”
That sounds hopeful — ICE is investigating ICE. /s
“Only the best people.”
