No one is endorsing the violence or vandalism. But the demonstrations had been largely peaceful, according to press reports, with the exception of a few isolated incidents that were being handled by local authorities. The protesters were reacting to a series of brutal ICE operations, particularly in the garment district and at Home Depot stores. The protests were exacerbated precisely by the presence of the National Guard.

People have the right to protest what they consider to be the excesses of the Trump administration, which sent masked and heavily armed ICE agents to detain workers, parents, and even union leaders like David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in California, who was beaten, detained, and now charged with “conspiracy to impede an officer.”

For Trump, however, the Los Angeles protesters are “professional agitators.” But he calls those who stormed the federal Capitol on January 6, 2021, under the false pretext that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him, and perpetrated bloody attacks on the Capitol Police, “patriots.” What's more, those who ended up in prison are now free because Trump commuted their sentences.

Trump and his deputy for public policy and national security adviser, Stephen Miller, create chaos to sustain the false idea that there is a "national emergency" because we are being "invaded" at the border with Mexico. This, in turn, justifies, for them, the implementation of draconian measures. In fact, Trump has not ruled out invoking the controversial Insurrection Act, which allows him to deploy the armed forces to suppress riots in Los Angeles.

At the same time,generates support for the $151.3 billion included in the Senate budget proposal that would make ICE the best-funded federal agency to enforce Trump's anti-immigrant crusade.

President Trump, who smells opportunity like a shark smells blood in water, saw an opening to federalize the National Guard and send in the military despite opposition from California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who claims there is no justification for the deployment.

What we are witnessing is another stage in the escalation of Trump's war on immigrants. At first, they said they would focus on "criminals," but soon began arresting and deporting hard-working immigrants with no criminal record, including established immigrants with U.S. citizen children and grandchildren. From there, they began to broaden their net to include documented immigrants, leaving them unprotected by eliminating protections granted through programs such as TPS and humanitarian parole, among others, or students with visas, Dreamers, and asylum seekers or beneficiaries. Even citizens and permanent residents have fallen victim to the raids. They also began detaining people in immigration courts, in restaurants, businesses, and during traffic stops. A new YouGov poll found that 50% of respondents reject Trump's handling of the deportation issue; 45% disapprove of the deployment of the National Guard, while 38% approve; and 47% oppose sending marines out of 34% who approve.

Thus, California once again becomes the laboratory for what can happen at the national level. Because in this political theater with the Democrat Newsom, Trump is testing how far his plans to militarize the immigration apparatus nationwide can go.

Days before a military parade coinciding with his birthday at a cost of $45 million in taxpayer dollars, Trump takes another step toward the autocracy to which he aspires.