MacArthur Park is a civic treasure of Los Angeles. It stands as a testament to the diversity and resilience of the city and the people that inhabit it. On July 7, these values were challenged. Federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descended upon the park in trucks and horseback, marching down Wilshire Boulevard with rifles. One officer waving the American flag.
ICE raids began on June 6 at a Home Depot in Westlake and in the Fashion District of Downtown. In that month alone, more than 1,600 people were detained. The chaotic nature of the raids is unprecedented to the city. The powerful Homeland Security apparatus, including ICE, and the FBI worked in tandem to raid workplaces, detaining dozens of people without any known warrant or probable cause.
Raids continued throughout the month of June, spreading to every corner of the city. A video posted by the LA Times, for example, shows ICE agents mocking a manager of a carwash in Westchester before arresting multiple employees. The carwash closed shortly after.
Immigration remained a central policy point in the President’s campaign. He has always used incredibly hateful rhetoric towards immigrants, claiming that all are violent criminals. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest the opposite. Immigrants account for 35 percent of L.A.’s population, a key cultural demographic of the city. Additionally, they contribute over $38 billion in taxes and are the backbone of our key economic sectors, such as agriculture. Despite this, one of the first executive orders signed by the President made all undocumented immigrants a priority for deportation.
Trump’s decision to send an invasive federal entity was completely intentional. As he shuts down businesses and terrorizes families, he aims to deteriorate the economic and social well-being of a city that is extremely ideologically opposed to him. It is a powerful display of how his federal authority is acting supreme over state autonomy, a clear sign that Trump will continue his crusade to fulfill his campaign promises, no matter who the victims are. Trump himself admits this notion, posting on X: “If Governor Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem.”
The presence of ICE instigated a response from Angelenos. Mayor Karen Bass immediately condemned the presence of ICE in L.A. “Let me be absolutely clear – as a united city, we are demanding the end to these lawless attacks on our communities,” Bass posted on X. Yet beyond this, protestors gathered outside the Los Angeles federal building, demanding an end to the raids across the city. Tensions quickly escalated as police began firing rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds. An unlawful assembly order was put in place by the LAPD, demanding that all protestors leave the area. In response to this, on June 7th, Trump signed an executive order sending 2,000 National Guard troops to L.A. to quell the protestors.
This decision is the first time since 1965 that the National Guard was deployed to California with the governor’s approval.
By sending the National Guard, the president is signaling a clear attempt to quash political dissent. Trump uniquely juxtaposed chaos with control in L.A. His ability to raid workplaces throughout the city and send the National Guard to quell the violence his crusade aroused demonstrates the lengths he will go to get his way.
Despite these threats, California remains resilient. On June 9, just three days after the initial raids, Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Bonta sued Trump. As Newsom is the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard, the lawsuit alleges that Trump’s usurpation of these troops was unlawful. A federal court ruled in favor of Governor Newsom, recognizing the danger that the President poses to California: “There is an ongoing risk that Defendants will act unlawfully and thereby injure Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit claimed. A White House spokesperson claimed that the judge in the ruling was “rogue” and was attempting to strip the President of his power of the federal government. Trump continues to vehemently exercise his disregard for lawfulness throughout the country.
As of early September, Chicago has fallen victim to a similar campaign, given the moniker “Operation Midway Blitz,” as ICE and DHS have made over 500 arrests in the Illinois area. Demonstrators gathered outside of a federal immigration facility to protest the unlawful and rampant raids that have occurred throughout the city, but were met with rubber bullets fired at them by ICE. “Chicago is about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR,” Trump posted on social media in reference to the impending ICE raids throughout the city.
Moreover,‘Patriot 2.0’ was the Massachusetts version of “Operation Midway Blitz.” Homeland Security justified the deportations across the state by arguing that sanctuary cities “harbor” criminals. Similar to L.A., there have been reports throughout Boston of unmarked vehicles in immigrant neighborhoods, preying on vulnerable families.
Trump has developed a calculated formula of action and rhetoric. Send ICE to instigate a liberal city, and then follow it up with violently quashing the city’s response and using threatening and demeaning language online. However, L.A. is unique. The scene at Macarthur Park was a symbol. A brazen display of federal power meant to re-establish the fear that was sparked a month earlier during the ICE raids that took place throughout the city. Trump made an example out of L.A., one that was echoed throughout the country: bend the knee or else.
Featured Image Source: The Times
