American Gulag

By Joseph Carvalko | 9 April 2025
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(Credit: Joe Carvalko / Facebook)

In light of a recent SCOTUS decision, it’s crucial for Americans to recognize historical parallels where citizens and lawful residents have been silenced, similar to tactics used in the Soviet Union and elsewhere.

In a case involving a lawful noncitizen resident mistakenly sent to a foreign prison, the Trump administration has claimed it cannot retrieve him. This raises the alarming possibility that not only noncitizens but also U.S. citizens could be forcibly removed from their homes and confined in foreign prisons or concentration camps without any legal recourse, especially if due process is denied.

History is rife with examples of such lawlessness, where dissidents have been swept away from schools, hospitals, and public spaces. This trend poses significant concerns about human rights, state sovereignty, and individual treatment under current government policies.

Several historical regimes have employed similar tactics, prioritizing national security or political ideology over individual rights:

1. Soviet Gulags: Under Stalin, millions were imprisoned in labor camps without due process, justified by state security needs.

2. Nazi Concentration Camps: The Nazi regime removed political dissidents, Jews, and minorities without trial, claiming national security as justification.

3. Internment of Japanese Americans: During World War II, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, despite no evidence of threat.

4. Extraordinary Rendition: Post-9/11, the U.S. engaged in practices where individuals were captured and transferred to other countries (e.g. Guantanomo, Cuba) for interrogation without judicial oversight, leading to potential torture.

Wars on terror, crimes or undocumented immigrants can morph into indefinite detention without trial and military tribunals. These few prominent examples underscore the horrors of allowing state power to override individual rights in the name of national security.

We have to reject any flirtation with these dangerous police practices, as they could affect someone we love next.

Joseph Carvalko is an American lawyer, who for over four decades has represented numerous organizations and individuals, from billionaires to indigents. He has been actively engaged in organizations such as Amnesty International, as its Legislative Coordinator for the State of New Mexico; the Sioux City American Indian Center, board member/activist; and Chairman, Technology and Ethics Working Research Group, Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Yale University, and Adjunct Professor of Law at Quinnipiac University, School of Law, teaching Law, Science and Technology. He has also worked as a technologist, where he’s been awarded 18 patents in various fields. Carvalko has authored over twelve books which include novels, poetry, law, science and the humanities. His articles appear regularly in a variety of publications and blogs. He lives on the U.S. east coast and in the New Mexico mountains.

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