The Military, Migrants and More
Published in El Heraldo de México
(Mexico) on 13 June 2025
by José Carreño Figueras (link to
original)
President Trump and his allies are now talking about mobilizing the armed forces, if necessary, to control the situation in other cities.
One can see the deployment of National Guard and Marine Corps troops in Los Angeles as part of a larger development, exceeding claims by President Donald Trump and his supporters that the massive influx of immigrants and asylum seekers amounts to an "invasion" and necessitates the military's presence to deal with the problem.
But many critics of the Trump administration believe it is more a reflection of his authoritarian disposition and an overt power play.
For them, the protest problem was created by the Trump administration itself, in large part by exaggerating how serious the clashes between opponents of immigration raids and police were last Friday in Los Angeles.
President Trump and his supporters are now talking about mobilizing the armed forces, if necessary, to control the situation in other cities where there are immigration demonstrations or “far-left” actions.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the Pentagon has the ability to increase the number of National Guard troop deployment to more cities “if there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that this is “an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the country who are thinking about copycatting the violence in an effort to stop this administration's mass deportation efforts.”
But such threatening bravado appears to be an attempt to cover up the Trump administration's growing domestic problems.
According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, the U.S. president has negative ratings across the board, even on what was considered his strong issue: immigration. Only 43% approve of Trump's immigration policies, while 54% disapprove. As for his deportation policies, 40% approve, and 56% disapprove.
Some analysts point out that popular rejection of the administration’s immigration policy could be the product of how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has conducted its raids on migrants, sometimes exerting excessive violence and without considering whether immigrants are processing their immigration status or whether ICE is detaining citizens.
But it is also true that Trump seems eager to turn to the military. “I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” Secretary Hegseth said last Tuesday.
But that assessment has troubling implications in a country where there is no tradition of deploying troops inside national borders and a constitutional prohibition on the military acting as police.
Some analysts fear that the Trump administration's decisions will erase the barrier that prevented the use of the U.S. Armed Forces inside the United States, except in extraordinary situations.
One can see the deployment of National Guard and Marine Corps troops in Los Angeles as part of a larger development, exceeding claims by President Donald Trump and his supporters that the massive influx of immigrants and asylum seekers amounts to an "invasion" and necessitates the military's presence to deal with the problem.
But many critics of the Trump administration believe it is more a reflection of his authoritarian disposition and an overt power play.
For them, the protest problem was created by the Trump administration itself, in large part by exaggerating how serious the clashes between opponents of immigration raids and police were last Friday in Los Angeles.
President Trump and his supporters are now talking about mobilizing the armed forces, if necessary, to control the situation in other cities where there are immigration demonstrations or “far-left” actions.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the Pentagon has the ability to increase the number of National Guard troop deployment to more cities “if there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned that this is “an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the country who are thinking about copycatting the violence in an effort to stop this administration's mass deportation efforts.”
But such threatening bravado appears to be an attempt to cover up the Trump administration's growing domestic problems.
According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, the U.S. president has negative ratings across the board, even on what was considered his strong issue: immigration. Only 43% approve of Trump's immigration policies, while 54% disapprove. As for his deportation policies, 40% approve, and 56% disapprove.
Some analysts point out that popular rejection of the administration’s immigration policy could be the product of how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has conducted its raids on migrants, sometimes exerting excessive violence and without considering whether immigrants are processing their immigration status or whether ICE is detaining citizens.
But it is also true that Trump seems eager to turn to the military. “I think we’re entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,” Secretary Hegseth said last Tuesday.
But that assessment has troubling implications in a country where there is no tradition of deploying troops inside national borders and a constitutional prohibition on the military acting as police.
Some analysts fear that the Trump administration's decisions will erase the barrier that prevented the use of the U.S. Armed Forces inside the United States, except in extraordinary situations.
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