• Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Hey gang, I’m very closely related to this field and wanted to share some insight into this!

    This is VERY COMMON practice for these situations. The idea is not to cover up inhumane tactics, but protect our personnel. While I’m sure a majority of these individuals are simple illegal immigrants who have no ill intentions, there are criminal gangs being caught up in this. Not the entire gang is being picked up, just the illegal immigrants. So the policy of removing identification from the uniforms is to protect the military member and their family.

    These commands come from the highest level, meaning each individual service member is not making the decision for themselves, but they are being commanded as a whole. Much as some might not like the connotations associated with this, it is a common practice and relevant due to the stated purpose of these missions.

    • Rob T Firefly@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      Thank you for sharing your perspective and informing us that cowardly evasion of accountability in the execution of inhumane operations is a common practice in the service. Some folks out there might not have suspected this already.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      This is VERY COMMON practice for these situations.

      Maybe it shouldn’t be. You know, what with accountability being a thing that people should be held to…

      • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        Should an airman’s family be targeted by cartels because they flew cartel members back to their home nation?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          19 hours ago

          That’s a good point.

          Maybe we shouldn’t have them do that in the first place either and if there are dangerous cartel members in the U.S., they can be put in U.S. prisons.

          • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            And after serving prison times what do we do? Most nations kick you out after you serve time in prison for serious crimes. How do you send them home?

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              18 hours ago

              Last I checked, planes not run by the Air Force flew to pretty much every country on the planet. Also, there are boats. And if we’re talking the Americas, cars and trucks.

              And if they have served their time, why do they need to be deported in a military plane?

              • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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                16 hours ago

                Do we deport criminals housed in prisons for being dangerous people using commercial carriers?

                They are being permanently exiled for their crimes why would ypu compromise that by letting them wander free?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  10 hours ago

                  I see. You think we should continue to treat former prisoners like prisoners even though they’ve served their sentence.

                  How very American of you.

                  • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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                    4 hours ago

                    If we are exiling someone for violent crimes why would they be free to roam the nation? You do not have the right to live anywhere other than the nation you have citizenship in. That isn’t “American” of me as that is the law in all nations.

            • fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de
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              13 hours ago

              That doesn’t mean that reprisals are a realistic possibility.

              People manage all sorts of risks every day.

              It’s not a question of whether some infinitesimal risk exists, it’s a question of whether removing names is an appropriate mitigation.

              Obviously you think that it is, but I think most people value transparency and accountability. The elephant in the room here is that anonymity would hypothetically allow service members to act with impunity.

              I’m sure you can see the risks in having service members escort detainees with no accountability for their actions.

      • Sightline@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Not wearing nametapes has been a thing for decades, long before Trump was president.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          21 hours ago

          Maybe it shouldn’t be. You know, what with accountability being a thing that people should be held to…

        • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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          21 hours ago

          I think the main problem people are having is that they are being used to enforce domestic policy within the United States, which is not normal at all and is arguably illegal.

          • Sightline@lemmy.world
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            21 hours ago

            Ok so you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. There are a lot of people in OPs image but only 4 are Air Force personnel, see if you can spot them.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  21 hours ago

                  Oh right, I forgot that if you are in the Air Force, that is the only possible way you can dress at all times. Never does anyone in the Air Force ever wear anything other than that.

            • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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              21 hours ago

              There are a lot of people in OPs image but only 4 are Air Force personnel, see if you can spot them.

              What does the percent of people in the picture being in the service have to do with anything…? We’re talking about federal military members being ordered by the executive to enforce domestic policy, which is illegal.

              Are you purposely being obtuse, or are you really this dumb?

              And yes, I can spot the Air Force personnel… I’ve spent 18 years living on AFB all over the country and abroad, my dad was a SMSgt.

              • Sightline@lemmy.world
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                20 hours ago

                We’re talking about federal military members being ordered by the executive to enforce domestic policy, which is illegal.

                The Air Force is not enforcing domestic policy here. If you see Airman out on the streets arresting people then you’d have a point. That’s why I mentioned the 6 agents. The USAF is providing logistical support (yes they bring their own security too, the 4 in multicams).

                If you disagree please look it up yourself.

                • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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                  20 hours ago

                  The Air Force is not enforcing domestic policy here. If you see Airman out on the streets arresting people then you’d have a point.

                  I don’t think you have any kind of authority to really substantiate that particular semantic dispute.

                  I’m sure we’ll probably see it brought before a court at some point, but I would argue that if the policy isn’t possible to execute without the logistical support of the military then the military is crucial to the enforcement of the policy.

                  • Sightline@lemmy.world
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                    20 hours ago

                    The armed forces can’t execute law domestically. The question driving the discussion here is what exactly constitutes “executing law.” According to DoD policy, the armed forces are prohibited from performing the following law enforcement activities:

                    • interdiction of a vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other similar activity
                    • a search or seizure;
                    • an arrest; apprehension; stop and frisk; engaging in interviews, interrogations, canvassing, or questioning of potential witnesses or suspects; or similar activity;
                    • using force or physical violence, brandishing a weapon, discharging or using a weapon, or threatening to discharge or use a weapon except in self-defense, in defense of other DoD persons in the vicinity, or in defense of non-DoD persons, including civilian law enforcement personnel, in the vicinity when directly related to an assigned activity or mission;
                    • evidence collection; security functions; crowd and traffic control; and operating, manning, or staffing checkpoints;
                    • surveillance or pursuit of individuals, vehicles, items, transactions, or physical locations, or acting as undercover agents, informants, investigators, or interrogators; and
                    • forensic investigations or other testing of evidence obtained from a suspect for use in a civilian law enforcement investigation

                    Source

    • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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      20 hours ago

      The idea is not to cover up inhumane tactics, but protect our personnel

      No, its just to cover up crimes against humanity. Let’s be real here, and yes, I was also an aircraft crewmember.

      The best way to protect them is to not put them there in the first place, for a law enforcement operation.

    • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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      24 hours ago

      This is VERY COMMON practice for these situations.

      No, no it’s not. Maybe when operating in dangerous missions while deployed overseas… While working on American soil? No.

      None of the other branches being ordered to do similarly sketchy quasi unconstitutional work have removed their identifiers, none of the other branches have opted to classify the work they are doing.

      The Air Force has a pretty well known history of racism, rape, and Christian nationalist in their command structure. Out of all the branches it doesn’t surprise me at all that the Air Force is the branch falling over itself to follow trump’s orders.

      • Sightline@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        No, no it’s not.

        Yes it is, those are Fly Away Security Teams (FAST) or Ravens. Go look it up, 95% of the official Air Force photos of FAST/Raven show people without nametapes, example taken from here.

        Furthermore:

        1. I can just take my top off if it’s not too hot. My t-shirt does not have a nametape

        2. I can just buy a nametape that says “Smith” or something common and you wouldn’t know the difference.

            • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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              21 hours ago

              The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385, original at 20 Stat. 152) signed on June 18, 1878, by President Rutherford B. Hayes that limits the powers of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States.

                • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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                  21 hours ago

                  Who said anything about aircraft security…?

                  They are being ordered to enforce domestic policy on us soil, which is exactly what the law is made to prevent.

                  • Sightline@lemmy.world
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                    21 hours ago

                    Who said anything about aircraft security

                    Me, I did. That’s what Fly Away Security Teams do, that’s what the USAF uses to secure it’s aircraft, domestically and abroad.

      • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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        22 hours ago

        Out of all the branches it doesn’t surprise me at all that the Air Force is the branch falling over itself to follow trump’s orders.

        I’m not sure how you can imply that you’re familiar with how the military operates and then say something as ignorant as this.

        All branches of the military “fall over themselves” to follow the orders of the President. That’s literally how the chain of command works.

        Be upset at Trump for assigning shit missions, but it’s incredibly ignorant to attack any specific branch of the military for following lawful orders.

        What do you picture the alternative to be? That some Airman should get himself court marshalled for refusing the order to remove his name and unit patch?

        Could you explain how transporting people to their country of origin is an illegal order?

        Or, maybe explain how you would handle the order as an enlisted soldier?

        • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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          19 hours ago

          That’s literally how the chain of command works.

          No, it isn’t. Supremacy lays with the constitution. Befehl ist Befehl isn’t a valid defense.

          • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            Yes, it is.

            Supremacy lays with the Constitution.

            The Constitution:

            The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States;

            Befehl ist Befehl isn’t a valid defense.

            There doesn’t need to be a valid defense because no crimes are alleged.

            The Air Force is operating a flight, chartered by ICE, to transport foreign nationals to their country of origin. The people are in ICE custody, ICE is the law enforcement body who is transporting them for deportation.

            The Air Force is no more enforcing domestic law than Delta is when ICE uses them to transport deportees.

            I think Trump’s deportation program is massively destructive and likely violates the law in many places. But that doesn’t mean that literally every aspect of it is a crime and everyone involved is acting illegally.

            The Air Force isn’t acting illegally by transporting ICE, which is the point of contention here. I mean, do you think that AFJAG is unaware that this is happening?

            Don’t confuse getting upvotes from outrage junkies with having rational opinions.

        • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
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          21 hours ago

          Be upset at Trump for assigning shit missions, but it’s incredibly ignorant to attack any specific branch of the military for following lawful orders.

          They are going above and beyond the assignment of the mission. As I said, the other branches have received similar orders but have made what they are doing public, and have not decided to operate anonymously.

          That some Airman should get himself court marshalled for refusing the order to remove his name and unit patch?

          Did I criticize the airman? No, I specifically criticized their command.

          Could you explain how transporting people to their country of origin is an illegal order?

          The Posse Comitatus Act is a United States federal law (18 U.S.C. § 1385, original at 20 Stat. 152) signed on June 18, 1878, by President Rutherford B. Hayes that limits the powers of the federal government in the use of federal military personnel to enforce domestic policies within the United States.

    • skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de
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      21 hours ago

      Being in America without paperwork isn’t a criminal charge, it is civil, so they aren’t even here illegally, by the definition of the law. They are undocumented immigrants, not illegal.

      The Nazis are trying to change the narrative to make it sound like there’s an evil scary cabal of people trying to destroy out country, to move the arrow away from pointing at the Nazis in power.

      • Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        What is brownshirt?

        Courtmarshall is probably not what you want in this. That’s specific to the UCMJ, which would discipline them for NOT removing identifiers. You probably want them to go through civilian courts if that’s your goal. Which probably means you’re thankful for Trump’s push for increased executions.

            • BossDj@lemm.ee
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              24 hours ago

              The SA/brownshirts were the “thugs” of Hitler’s Nazi military. The brutes you see in movies busting into homes and shoving people around. Known for being excessively violent and breaking rules/laws in their harassment/detainment/murdering of Jews. They also claimed to be “just following orders”

        • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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          19 hours ago

          You probably want them to go through civilian courts if that’s your goal.

          I want them all tried at the Hague.

        • JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl
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          21 hours ago

          Brown shirts are essentially what ICE and the USAF is right now. Hitler’s thugs that will hurt whoever he wants because they want to hurt people and they get a free pass to hurt “the right” people. They also his their identity “to protect the troops” from people who would do the right thing and confront serial murderers and abusers.

          So congrats on ICE and the arguably most far reaching branch of the US military being drumpler’s boot-deepthroating lackey henchmen.

          In Germany there was a word for people “that were good people just following orders”. Nazis & war criminals

    • ninjabard@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      We’re just trying to hide our identity while committing crimes acting on orders from the Criminal in Chief because all of our white robes and hoods turned pink due to a MAGA cap that somehow ended up in the wash.

      Got it.

      • Sightline@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Fly Away Security Teams/Ravens haven’t been wearing nametapes for decades, this is nothing new.

      • Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        That is literally not an option for a very large majority of these service members. That’ll be an Article 15 for sure, maybe a courtmartial.

        • grue@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Taking an Article 15 or court-martial instead of participating in massive civil rights violations not only absolutely is an option, but it’s the only ethical one!

          • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
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            22 hours ago

            No, they executed Nazis for operating death camps.

            They did not execute for “just following orders”, aka Nuremberg Defense.

            As it turns out, soldiers in all militaries follow orders every day without being executed.

            Unless you’re going to explain how removing a unit patch and name tag, or transporting people to their country of origin is worthy of execution, I’m not sure that you have an argument.

        • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
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          24 hours ago

          Resigning ones commission is exactly the type of meaningful protest that is needed. Nazis soldiers got pay and retirement benefits as well but tough things are tough to do. It sorta cracks me up because you say literally not an option and then present the very literal options they have.

        • ubergeek@lemmy.today
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          19 hours ago

          That’ll be an Article 15 for sure, maybe a courtmartial.

          Unlikely. The military doesn’t chase down people who are AWOL much anymore. I know two people who have been AWOL for 20 years now. And they aren’t hiding much at all.

    • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      to clarify you are saying this is is so a random airman’s kids aren’t targeted by the cartels because they flew some cartel members back?

        • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
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          19 hours ago

          I get what you’re saying, if this was a hollywood “Carry-on” kinda movies. But, something doesn’t pass the smell test.

          Why would a gang target a service member performing a deportation flight to another country? What benefit could they receive from being exposed going after a private who’s just guard duty on a plane? If it’s just a, “there’s no benefit, they’re just evil and target people for fun” I would need some actual evidence of something like this being done and the procedures put into place after to just trust any ol’ internet stranger proclaiming subject knowledge.

          • Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.world
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            19 hours ago

            The practice originates from prisoner movement during our global war on terror. It was due to concern over domestic operatives targeting armed forces members, which is not new. The linked story is an example of this being used to instill fear.

            While I don’t think this equates at all for simple deportation flights, this seems to be the underlying justification for the above tactic, be it to prevent retaliation or “making an example” to scare away further attempts at deportation.

            Again, I didn’t think this concern is nearly as founded as it was during global war on terrorism, but this is what I think is the justification.

            • Cataphract@lemmy.ml
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              10 hours ago

              Oh, I was hoping more for an article or a statement made by a person of authority that was saying “The procedure was done according to this report by our intelligence officials and thus we conduct ourselves this way” kinda link. I mean what you’re saying sounds plausible but that link from 2015 even says it was just social media kinda data if anything was actually real to begin with (nobody would confirm the validity, etc). I could see them using the scare tactics, just would like to see someone actually stating what the situation is.

    • Westcoastdg@lemmy.ca
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      21 hours ago

      Every individual has the power to make a decision even if that decision would exit them from the situation. Maybe more people should stand up to authoritarians

    • rottingleaf@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      This is what they say about riot police in oppressive regimes, about prison personnel, about people from special agencies doing surveillance and even arrests.

      I think you can see where I’m going. Removing identification is more harmful than the threat to “the military member and their family”.

      • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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        17 hours ago

        I get what you mean but Starship Troopers is a critique of war and militarized states.

        • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          16 hours ago

          My sibling in Kristallnacht, a militarized/police state is exactly what this is. This is war turned inward. This is what fascism looks like. This is fascism.

          They’re starting with (mostly non-European) immigrants and trans people, and so on.

          The Independent: Trump State Department official has repeatedly called for mass sterilization of ‘low-IQ trash’

          First they came for the Communists
          And I did not speak out
          Because I was not a Communist

          Then they came for the Socialists
          And I did not speak out
          Because I was not a Socialist

          Then they came for the trade unionists
          And I did not speak out
          Because I was not a trade unionist

          Then they came for the Jews
          And I did not speak out
          Because I was not a Jew

          Then they came for me
          And there was no one left
          To speak out for me

          • nednobbins@lemm.ee
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            17 hours ago

            We might be talking about different things. I’m just saying that Starship Troopers is an anti-war film and most of the people who like it are fairly liberal.

            • davel [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              16 hours ago

              Yes. My point was that the type of people who think it’s reasonable for troops to hide their identities are the same people for whom Verhoeven’s satirical fascism goes over their heads.

      • Darrell_Winfield@lemmy.world
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        19 hours ago

        Hell or High Water. Fantastic utilization of visuals combined with smooth and enjoyable music. Love the whole trilogy, but this is my favorite of them.