Report: ICE Detention Center Captain Sought To Start White Nationalist Group
Darren.Woon
Travis Frey, a captain at the Nevada Southern Detention Center, which is run by private prison behemoth CoreCivic and contracted with ICE, was active on the neo-Nazi site Iron March and aspired to establish a white nationalist chapter in his area, according to Vice.
Frey, 31, joined Iron March in 2013 while he was working as head of security at a CoreCivic jail in Indianapolis, which was also authorized to house detainees on behalf of ICE.
On Iron March, he used the screen name “In Hoc Signo Vinces,” a Latin phrase that was the title of the American Nazi Party’s manifesto.
In a post from November 2016, Frey wrote that “any ‘man’ who gets that upset about ‘virulent racism’ couldn’t knock out a tooth even if I tied my hands behind my back.”
“Deep down no one really gives a shit about racism,” he wrote.
Frey’s participation on Iron March raises concerns about his tenure while holding a position of authority over the lives of vulnerable populations, including migrants, many of whom are often people of color.
An ICE spokesperson said: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holds those working within our facilities to the highest standards of professional conduct. The incident in question does not involve a federal employee.” CoreCivic has not responded to a request for comment.
In June 2017, Frey started considering joining the Traditionalist Workers Party (TWP), which was a key player in the violent Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017. “I am interested in helping build the Indiana TWP, let me know what is needed,” he wrote.