No One is Illegal: Slavery in the New American Century

No One is Illegal: Slavery in the New American Century

by Josh Wolf, independent journalist in prison for over 170 days forrefusing to comply with a Federal Grand Jury [Josh Wolf, freelancejournalist and independent videographer is not charged with any crime andis being held under civil contempt. Wolf was incarcerated earlier thisyear after resisting a subpoena to testify before a Federal Grand jury andfor refusing to turn over his source material for video he shot of a SanFrancisco protest against the G8 Summit in 2005. His incarceration isvirtually unprecedented, and it is widely believed he will likely becomethe longest imprisoned journalist in U.S. history.]

It’s been purported that not a single prisoner will admit they are guilty. My experience at the FDC completely contradicts this assertion. In fact,very few of the people I’ve spoken to have professed to be innocent. This does not mean that our justice system is reasonable or effective; almost everyone’s story demonstrates how brutal and disturbing the sentences handed out by the Feds really are. Amongst all of these victims of state oppression, the most appalling stories are of those convicted of illegal re-entry. Not that long ago undocumented immigrants would simply be deported if their presence was discovered by the authorities. Today a far more treacherous fate awaits those whose only crim may be crossing an imaginaryline to return to their familiies. Within the system they call themselves Paisas and their numbers are astonishing (I’ve heard they make up as much as 60% at many institutions) The sentences being handed out vary, but 30 months seems to be the most prevalent; the maximum penalty is 20 years. Once they have completed their sentences, they are immediately put on a bus and dropped off in Tijuana.

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