Fire in LA
The most significant backlash so far to Trump 2.0 is in California sparked by ICE raids; Trump escalates fast
Para leer en español click aqui.
Border Patrol agents in green camo amass in a historic Mexican-American community. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sweep on the Fashion District. Protesters march with signs of “Chinga la migra” (fuck Border Patrol and ICE). Rioters cover a police car in spray paint and set it ablaze. President Donald Trump overrides a governor for the first time since 1965 to call out the National Guard. Rubber bullets thump journalists, one on live TV, another putting a photographer in hospital for surgery. Youths flash gang signs in front of a burning vehicle. Looters take sneakers. And the Mexican flag flies amidst the flames of Los Angeles.
The most significant backlash so far to Trump 2.0 has not come from the halls of Washington or campuses of top universities. It’s blown up in the City of Angels, which is both the second most populous metropolis in the United States and is often credited as the second biggest city of Mexicans after Mexico City (although to make that claim you have to include both those born in Mexico and those of Mexican descent, which gets into a heated discussion already.)
Political tensions are as fiery as the flames on the streets. “A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals,” wrote President Trump. “Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations.”
Protesters, pundits and politicians retort that Trump provoked the clashes to bring out the troops. LA mayor Karen Bass said the “deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles has been a chaotic escalation.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom was blunter. “What the hell are they doing? These guys need to grow up. They need to stop. And we need to push back,” Newsom told MSNBC. “Come after me. Arrest me. Let’s just get it over with.”
News is coming so fast and furiously and is so rapidly politicized that it’s hard to see through the smoke. But I want to focus here on three topics on these incendiary events: the immigration crackdown that sparked the clashes; the military response; and how Mexico is pulled into the confrontation.
Mass Deportations?
Sorry folks, you need to subscribe to read the rest of the story. But it’s only the price of a cuppa coffee and you get the complete archive including exclusive interviews of cartel operatives and maps of cartel territory. And now is a great time to subscribe as we will be following these issues with detailed reports you can trust as big things break in the coming months.