Dem
47
GOP
53
Although L.A. was quiet yesterday, the protests against Donald Trump's immigration policies are spreading to other cities on account of the deployment of the Marines, probably in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. That law bans the use of the U.S. Armed Forces for domestic law enforcement under normal circumstances. After the administration deployed the Marines to California, the spread of the protests was probably inevitable.
There were protest demonstrations yesterday in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Eugene, Louisville, Memphis, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, and St. Louis, organized by different groups and under different banners.
The Marines in California did not interact with the protesters yesterday in Los Angeles. They were receiving training on what they should do and what powers they have. They may detain people, but not arrest them and must turn them over to the local police as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in the Senate informing the senators that Trump's June 7 executive order federalizing the National Guard in California was a template for doing it in other states. If the protests continue to spread, Trump may order the National Guard federalized in many states and may end up fighting battles in many states at the same time. Since federalized Guard units will probably be called up against the will of the governor in all the blue states, Hegseth will be in charge. Needless to say, he is totally unprepared for this and if people are killed, this will be on Hegseth's plate.
If the protests are still going on Saturday, there could be battles in many places along with the planned "No Kings" demonstrations. And all this while tanks are rolling through (and tearing up) the streets of D.C. It will be a sight no one has ever seen in the U.S. before.
The National Guard has been called out many times by governors to quell demonstrations, but they are usually localized, not nationwide like they could be by Saturday. (V) clearly remembers taking this photo of lovely Berkeley when he was a grad student there in 1969. In April 1969, students took over an unused piece of university land, began planting flowers, shrubs, and trees, and called it People's Park. About 1,000 people became directly involved. Two weeks later the university called the local police to clear the park and ordered a fence built around it to keep everyone out. That led to protests, giving then-Gov. Ronald Reagan the excuse he needed to call up 2,700 National Guard troops to teach the dirty smelly hippies in Berkeley a lesson. Sound familiar? One person was killed and another permanently blinded when he took a direct hit in the face with birdshot.
Fifty-six years later, the university has started building a much-needed dorm on it.
Democratic politicians are in a bind here. While they may sympathize with the protesters, they probably understand that defending lawbreakers is not popular with the public, and people who have entered the country by just sneaking in have broken the immigration laws. In addition, sticking up for protesters against law enforcement is rarely a winning issue, especially if some of the protesters lit cars on fire or committed other illegal acts. But letting Trump dominate the news and hiding under their desks makes them look like cowards to many voters, especially young ones.
Trump has used images of burning cars, damaged property, and masked protesters carrying foreign flags to try to get public opinion on his side. Democrats don't know how to fight back except to give "process" arguments, like the president should not be bypassing the governor and deploying the Marines is illegal. To some people, these seem like minor technicalities, with the real issue being deporting criminals. Of course, Trump could overplay his hand and make small incidents into big crises and offend the public, but doing nothing and hoping that Trump makes a mistake is a weak hand.
It would be foolish to speculate what will happen if protests break out all over the country and merge with the planned "No Kings" demonstrations Saturday while tanks are rumbling through D.C. It depends on what Trump decides to do and how skillful Hegseth is at managing whatever orders Trump gives him. If things go south fast (especially if people are killed by the Guard or the Marines), it could become the defining moment of Trump v2.0. (V)