Behind Trump's deportation theatre lies an American tragedy

The streets of
Los Angeles have erupted in recent days, manifesting deep-seated tensions triggered by US President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies. Sparked by high-profile Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the city, targeting workplaces and even prompting the arrest of a prominent
union leader , thousands have taken to the streets in protest.
Mayor Karen Bass has
condemned the actions : 'When you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armoured caravans through our streets, you're not trying to keep anyone safe. You're trying to cause fear and panic.'
California governor Gavin Newsom has engaged in a sharp verbal and legal clash with Trump, criticising his decision to deploy National Guard troops and the Marines to help the raids and quell the protests, denouncing it as an 'unnecessary provocation' and a
'brazen abuse of power'
Trump, in turn, defended his intervention, calling Newsom 'incompetent' and claiming federal forces were necessary amid a
'rebellion'
These demonstrations and the political clashes underscore a critical reality: Trump's approach to immigration has transformed US border and interior enforcement into a jarring spectacle, prioritising displays of force over effective, humane policy.
This theatrical enforcement, far from instilling security, primarily generates fear and outrage, and leaves the system straining to meet unrealistic deportation targets even as America's global reputation rapidly deteriorates.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

RTHK

29 minutes ago

• RTHK

World braces for Iran's response to US strikes

World braces for Iran's response to US strikes This satellite picture shows the Fordow complex in Iran, after the US struck the underground nuclear facility. Photo: Handout via Reuters The world braced on Sunday for Iran's response after the US attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel's assault against its Middle East rival in a significant new escalation of conflict in the region. With the damage visible from space after 30,000-pound US bunker-buster bombs crashed into the mountain above Iran's Fordow nuclear site, Tehran vowed to defend itself at all costs. It fired another volley of missiles at Israel that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. The US State Department ordered employees' family members to leave Lebanon and advised citizens elsewhere in the region to keep a low profile or restrict travel. Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States - either by targeting US bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies - but that may not hold. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The US showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. US President Donald Trump called the strikes "a spectacular military success" and boasted that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated." A senior Iranian source told Reuters that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordow had been moved elsewhere before the attack. (Reuters)

South China Morning Post

an hour ago

• South China Morning Post

Democrats lash out at ‘erratic' Trump over Iran strikes, demand vote to rein in war powers

Democrats bristled on Sunday over US President Donald Trump's decision to launch air strikes on Iran without seeking authorisation from Congress, accusing the Republican of violating the constitution and demanding a vote to rein in his war powers. Advertisement Members of the Senate and House of Representatives argued that US intelligence had not shown an imminent threat from the Middle Eastern country that justified Trump's unilateral action. 'President Trump's actions in bombing Iran puts the US on the brink of a wider war in the Middle East, all without constitutionally required Congressional approval,' Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said in a statement. Democrats were divided between those demanding a vote on a war powers resolution to constrain Trump's authority to launch further action and a smaller group, who maintained that the strikes were grounds for the Republican leader's impeachment. They included Illinois moderate Sean Casten and New York leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused the president of having 'impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations'. Advertisement Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leaders in the Senate and House respectively, said Trump had 'dramatically increased' America's risk of becoming embroiled in a new Middle Eastern conflagration. 'No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,' Schumer said.

South China Morning Post

6 hours ago

• South China Morning Post

Texas governor signs bill banning Chinese citizens from buying property in the state

A bill to restrict property ownership in Texas by Chinese citizens became law, more than two years after it was first introduced, setting up what could be a prolonged legal and political battle as critics plan to file a suit challenging its constitutionality. Advertisement Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced on Saturday that he had signed the bill, which also targets nationals from Iran North Korea and Russia , into law. Abbott expressed support for the bill in February, writing on social media that the legislation 'would prohibit hostile foreign entities from purchasing land in Texas, and that 'we must get this to my desk this session'. The bill restricts individuals, companies, and government entities from China and the other named countries from purchasing property in the state, exempting US green card holders and citizens. It takes effect on September 1. The initiative allows those who hold valid US visas to purchase property, but only if the property is used as a primary residence. That means nationals from the four countries would not be able to purchase investment properties. Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Photo: The Dallas Morning News/TNS