How Authoritarians Use Fear to Justify Mass Detention

On Monday, the White House released a statement titled: 

“SICK POLITICIANS WANT KILLERS, RAPISTS ROAMING OUR STREETS” 

This isn’t just another anti-immigration press release. It’s something much darker: a deliberate escalation in the Trump administration’s strategy to normalize mass deportations and internment-style detention. 

This is how authoritarianism takes hold—not all at once, but piece by piece. 

The Playbook of Fear and Scapegoating 

The statement follows a classic authoritarian fear-mongering strategy: 

• Create an Enemy – The administration cherry-picks a handful of violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants to paint an entire group as dangerous. There’s no mention of crime rates among U.S. citizens or white nationalist terrorism (which statistically poses a greater threat). 
• Delegitimize Opposition – Democratic officials and “sanctuary cities” are framed as accomplices to violent criminals. The message is clear: if you oppose mass deportations, you are pro-rape, pro-murder, and anti-American. 
• Manufacture a Crisis – The statement suggests that the U.S. is under siege by violent immigrants, when in reality, crime rates among undocumented immigrants are lower than those of native-born Americans (Cato Institute, 2018). 
• Position Trump as the Only Solution – The statement presents Trump as the only leader willing to take “bold action” against crime, reinforcing his strongman image.

What This is Really Setting Up 

This is not just about deportations. It’s about laying the groundwork for a much broader crackdown. 

Expanding ICE Powers – This messaging paves the way for more aggressive mass raids, detentions, and fast-tracked deportations without due process. 

Criminalizing Immigration – This statement suggests undocumented status itself is a crime worthy of severe punishment—moving toward an “enemy of the state” framework. 

Justifying Large-Scale Internment – The narrative being pushed is that the U.S. is overrun with violent immigrants, requiring immediate mass action.

This lays the public groundwork for military-run deportation hubs, detention centers, and possibly even indefinite internment.

The Hidden Agenda: Undermining Democracy 

This isn’t just about immigrants. The Trump administration is using the same playbook of fear and demonization that every authoritarian regime has used to consolidate power: 

• Find a vulnerable group to dehumanize. 
• Convince the public that they are a threat to safety. 
• Dismantle legal protections in the name of “law and order.” 
• Expand state power to target the group—then expand it further to target political opponents.

It starts with undocumented immigrants, but it will not end there.

Why This Matters and What Comes Next

If history has taught us anything, it’s that when a government starts justifying mass deportation and internment, it doesn’t stop with the first group it targets. 

Japanese Internment in the U.S. (1942) – Executive Order 9066 led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Japanese Americans under the guise of “national security” (National Archives). 

Nazi Germany (1930s-40s) – Jewish people were first labeled as criminals and economic threats before being sent to concentration camps (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). 

USSR’s Gulag System (1930s-50s) – Mass arrests and forced labor camps expanded from targeting “enemies of the state” to including political dissidents, intellectuals, and everyday citizens (Memorial Society Russia). 

Chile Under Pinochet (1973-1990) – Dissidents and suspected leftists were detained in military-run concentration camps under the pretext of “national stability” (Harvard University, 2001).

What starts as “removing criminals” becomes a tool for broader political repression.

What We Can Do Right Now 

This is not the time to wait and see. 

• Expose the strategy. Share the real statistics. This is not about crime—it’s about control. 
• Fight against unconstitutional mass detentions. Any moves toward internment-style camps must be met with overwhelming resistance. 
• Support sanctuary cities and legal defense funds. These efforts protect undocumented communities and ensure due process.
• Call out fear-based propaganda. The more people recognize these tactics, the less effective they become. 
• Make noise. Call your representatives. Show up at protests. Get involved in mutual aid efforts. 
• Vote in every election. Authoritarianism thrives when people disengage. Local and state elections matter as much as federal ones.

Conclusion 

We have seen this before. We know where it leads. We must act now to stop it. 

The fight against authoritarianism begins with rejecting its propaganda.

Sources

1. Cato Institute. (2018). Illegal Immigrants and Crime: Assessing the Evidence. 
2. National Archives. (2022). Executive Order 9066 and Japanese American Internment. 
3. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2020). The Nazi Rise to Power and the Role of Propaganda. 
4. Memorial Society Russia. (2019). The History of the Gulag System. 
5. Harvard University. (2001). The Chilean Coup and the Pinochet Dictatorship.
6. Sick Politicians Want Killers, Rapists, Roaming the Streets. (2025). The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/02/sick-politicians-want-killers-rapists-roaming-our-streets/