Over the last few months, we have covered multiple stories on Donald Trump and his immigration policies. When he returned to power in January 2025, he launched the “largest deportation” campaign in U.S. history. However, his policies have seen immense backlash due to the ruthless ways of mass deportation and detention, some even in a wrongful manner. Reports of immigrants disappearing and being kept in brutal conditions have also been noted.
The federal government’s actions have been seen as a direct attack on immigrant communities, especially in diverse cities like Los Angeles. Moreover, Trump’s recent immigration raids have also traumatized people and resulted in civil unrest and hideous protests in L.A.
Demonstrators disputed with law enforcement, resulting in property damage, looting, and conflicts with police. In response, President Donald Trump further labelled the protesters as “animals” and “a foreign enemy,” prompting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to declare a local emergency and impose a total curfew in downtown areas.
View this post on Instagram
As per The Mirror, ” Speaking during a visit to Fort Bragg, California, where Donald Trump was scheduled to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, the president declared, ‘We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That’s exactly what they are.”
Meanwhile, the mayor’s curfew turned the area into a no-go zone until early Wednesday morning (6 am). Karen Bass told the public not to go near the curfew area and warned that anyone breaking the rules would be arrested and prosecuted. She also highlighted that despite the dramatic images circulating online, the crisis is not citywide.
Furthermore, California Governor Gavin Newsom slammed Donald Trump over his actions, accusing the federal government of escalating the situation. He rebuked Trump for illegally deploying 4,100 National Guard and 700 Marines to the streets of LA, asserting that such heavy-handed measures have only worsened political tensions. Newsom accused the 78-year-old of turning his regime into an authoritarian style of governance.
He said, “Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves, but they do not stop there. In just over 140 days, this president has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable for corruption and fraud. He’s declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing.” (via New York Times).
In addition, the governor said that these protests will only increase as, under Donald Trump’s rule, democracy and free will seem to be under threat. He quoted, “Democracy is under assault before our eyes; this moment we have feared has arrived.”
He also said California appears to be bracing for further unrest and other states shortly. Former president Joe Biden also carried out deportations, with 271,000 immigrants deported to 192 countries in fiscal year 2024, and made many changes in the law. Still, the methods weren’t so ruthless, although people fought for their freedom and rights violently.
View this post on Instagram
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that the Trump administration wants people to back down and remain silent, but citizens should not do that to preserve the essence of democracy. Hence, the only way to retaliate against the forced laws is by being visible. It’s important to keep the names in the public eye and demand accountability.
At this point in global politics (not only in America), despite all the talk of peace and stability in books and speeches, reality feels more like an era in which retaliation may be the only path left to claim equal rights. But still, we ask: When will it all end?
