New York proposes setting up Covid detention camps

FPI / December 20, 2021

New York lawmakers are proposing setting up detention camps that could hold those infected with Covid, their contacts, or anyone suspected of presenting a “significant threat to public health.”

Critics say the legislation is so vague that it gives New York officials the power to hold anyone with any contagion for an indefinite time period and also grants the state the power to forcibly vaccinate detainees.

The state Senate and Assembly will take up the bill (A416) during the next legislative session, which begins on Jan. 5.

The legislation gives the governor or the governor's delegates, which includes heads of local health departments, the power to remove and detain any individuals or groups of people through issuing a single order.

The bill "presents a serious risk to the basic liberties of all Americans in the state of New York, including their right to choose whether or not to receive medical treatment and vaccinations related to thus far undetermined contagious diseases," Kay Smythe noted in a Dec. 18 analysis for The National Pulse.

The legislation states that no one can be detained for more than 60 days, but allows for court orders to waive the maximum detention time. After 60 days, the court is allowed an additional 90 days to consider the detention of an individual. It sets up "a cycle that can last indefinitely per the opinion of the department," Smythe wrote.

The legislation states that it would “require an individual who has been exposed to or infected by a contagious disease to complete an appropriate, prescribed course of treatment, preventive medication or vaccination.” This essentially gives the government "the right to detain anyone they want and forcibly vaccinate them," Smythe wrote.

"As the language of the bill refers to individuals or groups who 'potentially' pose a threat, the bill is a pre-emptive strike against anyone the the department believes has the capacity to 'pose a threat' in the future, such as those refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccination," Smythe wrote.

Additionally, Smythe noted, "there is no explicit reference to what types of contagious diseases qualify a person to be removed from public life, detained in a facility, and forced into medical treatment and vaccination. Anyone can technically be held in isolation until they are deemed non-contagious, which would also raise questions over whether those carrying HIV/AIDS could be released back into society."

The bill has received an overwhelmingly negative response on the NY Senate website.

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