Operation Streamline Finally on Trial - Mon March 16

Operation Streamline Finally on Trial

by Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez

Truthout

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/29576-operation-streamline-finally-on-trial

Nothing outside of Tucson's federal courthouse could prepare one for the peculiar court proceeding known as Operation Streamline.

As one enters the courtroom, on the left side, one sees some 60 to 65 brown men, all handcuffed with wrist, waist and ankle shackles. In the central part of the courtroom, in the front row, there are usually five to six brown women also similarly shackled. In that same section sit "their" attorneys. Whatever it is that these attorneys do in this courtroom, it has little to do with jurisprudence. At best, their presence, like that of the judges, lends "legitimacy" to a lawless proceeding.

The "operation" lasts approximately one hour, everyday at 1:30 pm. Once the farcical proceeding begins, and within an hour, the 70 or so defendants are charged, "tried," found guilty, sentenced and then sent to a for-profit detention center. Their crime: entering or re-entering the country without proper documentation. Each defendant, by the time of their "trial," will have spent a few minutes consulting with "their" attorneys. Deliberation, which is supposedly the hallmark of trials in democracies, is completely absent here. 

For the rest of the column, go to Truthout at: http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/29576-operation-streamline-finally-on-trial