TheFEMA camps conspiracy theory is a belief, particularly within the AmericanPatriot movement,[1] that the United StatesFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning to imprisonUnited States citizens inconcentration camps, following the imposition ofmartial law in the United States after a major disaster or crisis.[1][2][3][4] In some versions of the theory, only suspecteddissidents will be imprisoned. In more extreme versions, large numbers of United States citizens will be imprisoned for the purposes ofextermination as aNew World Order is established. The theory has existed since the late 1970s, but its circulation has increased with the advent of the internet andsocial media platforms.[2]
The US governmentimprisoned Japanese-American citizens in internment camps during WWII and developed, but did not implement, theRex 84 contingency plan for mass internment of US citizens in the 1980s.[2]
FEMA is a United States government agency tasked with the effective management of major emergencies within the country, including ensuring thecontinuity of government during a large-scale disaster including anuclear war. It provides federal relief to areas afflicted by natural disasters.[5] The precursor agency to FEMA was theFederal Civil Defense Administration established byPresident Harry S Truman in 1950 with Executive Order 10186.[6]
FEMA was established in 1979 under Executive Order 12127 byPresidentJimmy Carter. It was established to coordinate the response to any major disaster that has occurred in the United States that overwhelms local and state authorities.[7] In 2002, it was finally codified into law and made a component of theDepartment of Homeland Security. As well as providing large-scale emergency-management, FEMA is also the largest flood-insurer in the United States, mainly because most private insurance companies do not offer flood insurance.[8]
Proponents of the conspiracy theory argue FEMA's mission is a cover up for its "real" purpose — to assume control of the United States following a major disaster or threat — and that the organization is "theexecutive arm of the comingpolice state".[2]
The theory in general states that once a disaster, or threat of one occurs, martial law will be declared and FEMA's emergency powers will come into operation, and it will effectively become thegovernment.[1] TheConstitution will be suspended, and citizens will be moved into camps.[2]: 251
In many versions, "dissidents" or members of thepatriot movement will merely be imprisoned.[9] Others argue that they will be sent to these camps to be murdered.[4] Extreme versions state that plans are in place to imprison and kill apolitical American citizens in camps as part of a "population control" plot.[4] In April 2014,Snopes posted a claim that FEMA was marking houses by political affiliation to round people up for these camps. In reality the bright, color coded stickers served varying purposes for newspaper and mail delivery personnel.[10]
Although they do not mention FEMA specifically, theOath Keepers' list of 10 "Orders We Will Not Obey" includes actions that are feared by many proponents of FEMA conspiracy theories.[11] Proponents often play intoracial fear, asserting that FEMA will use "urban gangs" asauxiliaries to ensure order.[9] FEMA conspiracy theories are often woven into larger conspiracy narratives about ushering in a "New World Order", meaning atotalitarianworld government.[12]
One of the first known references to FEMA concentration camps came from a newsletter issued by thePosse Comitatus organization in 1982, with the warning that "hardcore patriots" were to be detained in them.[2] The prevalence of the conspiracy theory increased in line with the rise of themilitia movement in the 1990s.[2] The conspiracy was part of the rhetoric of the now largely disbandedMilitia of Montana. The self-styled congressional analyst David Fletcher was their spokesman and brought it up in meetings, even pointing out "United Nations Reserves" that the government was building camps for in theNorthern Cascades.[13]
A supposed FEMA camp was featured inLinda Thompson's 1994 filmAmerica Under Siege; in reality, the "FEMA camp" was anAmtrakrepair facility.[14][15] She accused the government of using "black helicopters" against patriots to prevent them from interfering with plans to establish a New World Order.[16][17][18] Following the 1995Oklahoma City bombing, the conspiracy theory was discussed by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Domestic Terrorism.[9] The theory's inclusion in the plot of the 1998X-Files movie showed its growing reach.[1] After the film’s release, FEMA spokesperson Morrie Goodman told the Washington Post: people have come to believe that the agency has “all kinds of powers we don’t have, that we can put people in concentration camps and suspend the Constitution.”[1]
Fears of FEMA declined in the early 2000s as foreign terrorists were perceived as the major threat but thelate-2000s recession and the election ofBarack Obama renewed opposition among conservatives, to thefederal government. Obama's election also enabled the theory to reach more mainstream right-wing circles whereas it had previously been confined to the fringes. There was a resurgence in the militia movement, and with it a resurgence of the FEMA camps conspiracy theory[9] and a corresponding boom in the "prepper" economy.[19] Reader emails published by the magazineNational Review have also promoted the theory.[3]
CongresswomanMichele Bachmann alluded to the theory while in office,[20] as have otherRepublican Party politicians.[21] In December 2011Camille Marino of the animal liberation website Negotiation is Over posted an alert on her website titled "Military Now Recruiting Guards for FEMA Domestic Detainment/Internment Camps" containing the usual warnings about the end of civil liberties and the announcement that theU.S. Army is looking for "a Few Good Totalitarians" to herd dissenters into camps.[22]
In 2015, fears of the FEMA roundup beginning surfaced with the announcement of a domesticmilitary training operation calledJade Helm 15. County and state officials inTexas denounced the fears[23] and the exercise was completed with no one being placed into aninternment camp.[24] Also in 2015, additional speculation about the theory was stoked by retired generalWesley Clark when he called for World War II-style internment camps to be revived to combat Muslim extremism. He stated, "If these people are radicalized and they do not support the United States and they're disloyal to the United States as a matter of principle, fine, that's their right. It’s our right and our obligation to segregate them from the normal community for the duration of the conflict."[25]
According to theLas Vegas Police Department and witnesses in the weeks leading up to the2017 Las Vegas shooting, gunmanStephen Paddock reportedly espoused right-wing anti-government and conspiratorial views, including FEMA conspiracies. He reportedly told a friend that "sometimes, sacrifices have to be made" in order to encourage the American public to arm themselves.[26][27]
Conspiracy theorists have used the actualinternment of Japanese Americans duringWorld War II in specifically constructed camps as evidence that such a scenario has historic precedent.[2] Proponents have cited acontingency plan (Rex 84) drafted in part byU.S. Marine ColonelOliver North calling for the suspension of the Constitution and the detainment of citizens in the event of a national crisis.[2] This was aimed at left-wing activists, not thelibertarians and right-wingers generally associated with FEMA theories.[28] This has been linked to a 1970 document byLouis Giuffrida (who in 1981 became the director of FEMA) calling for the establishment of martial law in the event of an uprising byAfrican American militants and the internment of millions of African Americans.[2]
Alex Jones has promoted conspiracy theories about FEMA onInfoWars. In 2010, Jones produced and directedPolice State 4: The Rise of FEMA, a film he claimed "conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps" and that "The military-industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp." In 2012, Jones linked to a story titled "List of All FEMA Concentration Camps in America Revealed" from the German UFO conspiracy websiteDisclose.tv.[29]
In 2015, after Superstorm Sandy, the US Army announced it would begin Jade Helm 15 training. Conspiracists began to spread the theory that dome-shaped roofs paid for by FEMA were connected to Jade Helm and made to detain insurrectionists, while they were really created for people to shelter from the hurricanes.[30]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, an agreement was made that would allow FEMA to provide noncongregate shelters for those who wouldn’t be able to quarantine in their own homes. Many began speculating that this was another iteration of FEMA camps.[31]
Popular Mechanics has debunked some of the claims that proponents of the theory make.[14]FOX News personalityGlenn Beck did a 2009 interview with James Meigs, editor-in-chief of "Popular Mechanics", during which he debunked the existence of one purported camp.[32] "This video," Meigs said, "actually dates from about 1995. But like so many of these conspiracy theories, it gets re-cut and re-edited and circulated around the Internet."[25] Bloggers at theSkeptic Project have posted detailed lists where they claim to debunk many of the FEMA camp locations elsewhere in the U.S.[33]
Newsweek emailed FEMA to inquire about the FEMA camps rumors. Press Secretary Alexa Lopez replied, "We are currently focusing our efforts on providing assistance to disaster survivors, and the ongoing response and recovery efforts in Louisiana. As to your first question, over the years there have been many myths or rumors surrounding FEMA, and I am glad I have the chance to set the record straight with you. There is absolutely no truth to these rumors—they are nothing more than conspiracy theories."[34]One internal FEMA memo advised ex-employees: "Most people know us as the agency that responds to natural disasters. Others believe we have a somewhat sinister role. For the latter, it is not realistic to think that we can convince them otherwise and it is advisable not to enter into debate on the subject."[9]
