Cable news people call them “prison camps” or “Trump prison camps,” but look in any dictionary: prisons are where people convicted of crimes are held. As Merriam-Webster notes, a prison is:
“[A]n institution for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes.”
But what do you call a place where people who’ve committed no criminal offense (immigration violations are civil, not criminal, infractions)? The fine dictionary people at Merriam-Webster note the proper term is “concentration camp”:
“[A] place where large numbers of people (such as prisoners of war, political prisoners, refugees, or the members of an ethnic or religious minority) are detained or confined under armed guard.”
Curious as to why Common Dreams and others aren’t using the term “Internment Camp”? I’m not trying to whitewash the present, but it does seem to me that a large number of people might feel that term “concentration camp” is a dramatization of the current situation. “Internment” is also awful but less loaded, and might get more people on board and thinking about this seriously. Thoughts?
Edit: Upon looking it up, I have a few thoughts. One, some say “internment camp” was white washing in the first place. Two, “internment camps” might specifically refer to U.S. Army run concentration camps during wartime. I’m still not really clear, though, and would love some additional insight.
I can’t wait for you to look up the definition of “ethnic cleansing”.
Upvoting simply because I love to see people challenging their own opinions