Trump desperately tries to tweet martial law into existence
ALSO INSIDE: ICE agents turned away from Pasadena hotels, slowing down raid efforts
Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.
What Happened
For the first time in 60 years, the President of the United States has deployed the armed National Guard to a civil rights protest. Only last time, it was to protect the protestors, and this time… it’s to stop them.
Except there isn’t much for the soldiers to do in downtown Los Angeles. Despite Trump’s attempts Monday morning to escalate the situation — he’s encouraged the commanding officer to “BRING IN THE TROOPS” and insisted that “protesters are getting very much more aggressive” — the brigade he’s deployed has mostly been mulling around.
Here’s how we got to this point:
Protests in LA started last Friday when immigrants who were following court orders went to their routine check-in appointments and were ambushed by ICE, who arrested them and took them to the detention center in downtown LA. People got upset that their friends and neighbors were being illegally detained and began to protest outside the detention center. As the protest got bigger and more attention online, ICE agents began targeting and arresting the people recording them.
Then Trump began stoking the flames from 3,000 miles away at his private golf resort in New Jersey. He called the governor scum, the mayor worthless, and characterized the protestors as rioters and looters. Then he went to a UFC fight and had his team label the protest an insurrection.
That designation, directly from the White House, led to news outlets describing the protests as acts of treason against the government. By the time Trump got back to his resort and turned on Fox News, it was no longer a protest, as far as his media bubble was concerned: it was a full-blown insurrection.
With that coverage dominating the news cycle, Trump issued an order allowing his administration to deploy armed forces anywhere in the country, indefinitely, whenever he deems necessary. He then used that order to send the National Guard to LA against the governor and mayor’s wishes – at that point, the protests were already dying down – and congratulated them on calming the streets before they even got there.
Attempts to Sanewash
White House slams LA ‘insurrection’ as protests erupt over deportation raids
National Guard troops arrive in Los Angeles after immigration protests turn violent
Far-Right Spin
Pasadena Hotels are turning away ICE agents
All eyes have been on LA since the Trump administration turned protests at a downtown ICE detention center into a flash point over the weekend, but some of the most effective opposition taking place against his anti-immigration raids is happening in the surrounding area.
Over 40 people were illegally detained by ICE in LA on Friday, but just 10 miles away, in Pasadena, ICE agents weren’t able to carry out any raids, according to California Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez. While there are many reasons why the city hasn’t seen any agents on the streets, one may be logistics: Pasadena hotels haven’t been letting them stay there once they realized what they were doing in town.
“We received several reports of immigration enforcement here, in several Pasadena hotels,” said Pérez. “We know that they have actually checked out of many of those hotels — and in many cases, several hotels have actually asked them to leave. We also know that, right now, there has not been enforcement activity in Pasadena.”
Pressure is also being put on detention centers, where people are being held without criminal charges. US Reps. Judy Chu, Gil Cisneros, and Derek Tran—joined by lawyers from the ACLU and organizers with the local immigration rights group CHIRLA—were denied access to an ICE detention center in Adelanto, California, on Sunday. As members of the U.S. Congress, they have the legal right to inspect federal facilities at any time and without notice, but when the group showed up, agents had put locks on the gate and ignored their calls.
“At Trump’s direction, ICE and DHS agents are harassing our community, questioning our neighbors, and disregarding the law by preventing us from conducting oversight,” Cisneros said in a statement. “Trump is deliberately manufacturing chaos and inciting fear. I will continue to press for answers as our community is under attack.”
Oversight visits like this are crucial to protecting the rights of those detained and preventing human rights abuses from taking place. Members of Congress have been denied entry by the Trump administration at a number of detention facilities, despite US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s admission that they have the legal right to enter.
The city of Glendale, California, has taken a step further and terminated its contract with ICE that allowed federal agents to detain people at the city’s police station.
US Rep. Young Kim, California’s 40th Congressional District
Since taking office in 2021, Rep. Kim has:
Seen her net worth increase from $570,000 to $3.7 million
Sponsored 76 bills
Authored two bills that have been signed into law, both to rename post offices in her district
Received $12,500 from Elon Musk’s SpaceX PAC and $230,000 from the oil industry
Successfully helped repeal a $5 limit on credit card fees put in place by the Biden administration
Voted against impeaching Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 Insurrection but supported an inquiry into Biden to find a reason to impeach him
Praised Trump for not politicizing the California wildfires shortly before he called Gov. Gavin Newsom scum and wasted billions of gallons of water to make a political point
Fun Facts
Kim is an immigrant from South Korea and is the first Korean-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. She’s been accused of pulling up the ladder behind her, however, by the immigrant rights non-profit Korean Resource Center, for her voting record on immigration issues.
“The Congresswoman has dangled her ‘immigrant experience’ to win hearts and votes, but when given the platform to act in favor of the communities she serves, she simply turns her back on them,” the group said in a statement. “As an immigrant herself, Rep. Kim knows first-hand the trials and tribulations of the immigrant community.”
Kim also defended the Trump administration’s raids in LA over the weekend, including the deployment of the National Guard, which was against the wishes of the mayor and governor. Instead, she laid the blame for any unrest on former President Joe Biden, “out of touch Sacramento policies & soft on crime prosecutors.”
The real-world implications of Medicaid cuts
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I recently went down to southern Arizona to interview Garrett Newell, a community college student from Tucson. In addition to being a major history buff, Garrett knows way more about the inner workings of the federal budget than anyone his age should have to.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much of a choice: After saying they weren’t going to cut funding for social programs like Medicaid—which Garrett relies on—Congressional Republicans are in the process of cutting nearly $1 billion in order to pay for tax breaks for their wealthy donors.
“I benefit from getting Medicaid, Social Security, and these benefits help me in terms of getting my education,” Garrett told me. “My physical disability… affects my ability to walk. I had to get several surgeries to help me walk better.”
Garrett has cerebral palsy, which has damaged the muscles in his right leg. He was able to get surgery on his leg thanks to his Medicaid coverage, which has not only improved his quality of life but also allows him to be an active, contributing member of his community.
If you have a few minutes, make sure to check out my conversation with Garrett on TikTok or Instagram.
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Thank you Cameron for highlighting Garrett’s very important story. Please keep telling the stories of the American citizens who are able to add so much to our country because they receive Medicaid. We can’t deny them the opportunities they should have by cutting off their access to Medicaid. Cutting Medicaid in order to cut taxes for the wealthiest in the country is shameful!