The+Palmer+Raids+JAM

A. Mitchell Palmer declared that a blaze of revolution was burning up the foundations of society. So he decided to act. He created the Intelligence Division within the Justice Department and placed J. Edgar Hoover in charge of it (it is now called the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI for short.). The Government (Palmer) decided that something had to be done about the bombings going on, and with no solid evidence, targeted the foreign-born. On November 7, 1919, they raided offices of the Union of Russian Workers in 12 cities. 249 immigrants were deported as a result. Palmer’s raids continued until the spring of 1920. In this short time, nearly 600 innocent people were deported and thousands of suspects arrested and detained. These thousands had their civil liberties ignored. Officers did not use warrants to search buildings. People were mistreated. They were given no attorneys or the chance to speak to one. Many deported people never saw a court room. People were held indefinitely.

Palmer was hero in the eyes of the nation, because he made them feel safer. He never gained any real evidence of conspiracy or consequence. When he predicted violence would rock the nation on May Day of 1920, and nothing happened, he lost most of his support. 

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