ICE raids are the ‘new chapter in the War on Terror,’ MSNBC guest alleges

MSNBC’s Katie Phang and contributor Paola Ramos attacked President Donald Trump’s plan to house illegal immigrants at Guantanamo Bay as a “new chapter in the War on Terror.”

“Convicted felon President Trump’s terror campaign through heightened mass deportation efforts has led to an increase in arrests while deportation flights remain at typical pre-Trump levels,” Phang began a segment on her Saturday show. “So with more arrests, the federal government has to house those in custody somewhere.”

Phang referenced Trump announcing on Wednesday that he signed a presidential memorandum to send “criminal illegal aliens” to a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay as deportation raids continue.

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Trump emphasized Guantanamo Bay will be used to house illegal immigrants who “are so bad, we don’t even trust their countries to hold them,” Phang lamented the rights of people in the prison.

“We’re hearing — and we know — the vice president of the National Immigration Law Center saying, ‘report upon report on conditions’ in those detention facilities ‘that don’t provide basic health care,’ they ‘shackle women when pregnant,’ and they haven’t had ‘protections for communicable diseases such as COVID.’ I mean, Pao, the continued dehumanization of migrants is the goal here, right?” Phang asked.

“That’s exactly right,” Ramos answered. “I think the first thing that comes to mind when you mention Guantanamo — when you mention the report — is ‘War on Terror,’ and that is precisely the point. That is what Donald Trump wants us to think about.”

She continued, “Look, I think if you take a step back, you know, and you look at all of these images that we have been bombarded with just this week, Katie, you know, you see the ICE raids — you see troops deploying to the border. You see images of military planes carrying migrants and now the image of Guantanamo Bay. The point is precisely to get this country to believe that we are entering this new chapter in the War on Terror.”

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Later in the segment, Phang accused ICE agents of being “indiscriminate” during raids, going after anyone who looks “Brown or Black.”

“I think what’s so important to underscore here is these ICE raids that are happening right now,” Phang said. “They are indiscriminate in terms of who they’re picking up and who they’re detaining. They’re actually — it’s the reverse of due process, right? It’s ‘I’m going to take everybody who’s Brown and Black, and then I’m going to make you prove that you’re a U.S. citizen,’ versus ICE saying, ‘I know you’re not a U.S. citizen, and I’m here to be able to take you.’”

According to information provided to Fox News Digital by a senior Trump administration official, more than 700 illegal immigrants were arrested over the weekend. More than 500 of them had previous convictions or charges.