The Time Is Now
- Liam F.
- Jun 13
- 15 min read
Updated: Jul 3
(!) All views expressed here are the author’s own and should not be attributed to any institution, employer or future legal defense fund.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke c. 1795
The National Guard was deployed to Los Angeles this weekend. It is the first time the Guard has been federalized and deployed since President George H.W. Bush did so in 1992. Not since 1965 has a president done it without the approval of the state’s governor, when President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act to mobilize troops without the consent of then Alabama Gov. George Wallace.
Protestors and demonstrators facing the California National Guard amidst the Trump administration's federal immigration tactics. | APU GOMES / AFP - GETTY IMAGES
To keep it brief, Johnson is generally seen as having ended up on the right side of that history. George Wallace was a staunch segregationist who, only two years prior, had called for “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” (Must I say more?)
Sixty years later, we’re faced with a new problem. A president actively rounding up people and deporting them without due process. And now for the first time facing intense backlash from its people. Police cars destroyed, freeways blocked, buses and self-driving cars set ablaze.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the deployment was due to the administration wanting a “spectacle.” Newsom assured the public all was under control. Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass allege that the National Guard deployment was a deliberate “escalation” tactic. The federal government alleges that this was a “necessary” action to “address the lawlessness that has been allowed to fester.”
There are certain situations or events that people wish to ignore, but every few years, Americans have little to no choice but to confront reality.
It happened in 2020 following the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and George Floyd. Before that, between 2014 and 2016, America witnessed the aftermath of the deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray and Philando Castile.
We are now in the midst of another one – this time, surrounding immigrants. Legal, illegal, we are still talking about human beings. Has the treatment of undocumented immigrants by the U.S. government been cruel and unusual? Have they been deprived of life, liberty, and property without the due process of law? If the answer to any of those questions is yes, what choices are the people left with?
Protestors at Lafayette Square, D.C. on Saturday, Jun. 7, 2025. | ALEX BRANDON / AP
The Federal Government
On Inauguration Day, Trump signed seven executive orders relating to immigration:
Protecting the American People Against Invasion (Declared a national emergency)
Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship (Ended birthright citizenship)
Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists (“extreme vetting” for some nations)
Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions (Restrict refugee college admission)
Securing Our Borders (Relaxed oversight on ICE and Border Patrol)
Days later, “Operation Safeguard” began, leading to ICE raids in sanctuary cities including New York, Newark, Seattle, Atlanta, Miami and Boston. 538 arrests were made on January 23 alone.
On the 28th, Secretary of Homeland Security and self-identified dog killer Kristi Noem joined ICE in the Bronx for raids, posting on social media, “We are doing this right.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was one of the first officials to come out against the ICE raids. In a statement he claimed a raid on a local business violated the Fourth Amendment. This was in stark contrast to his counterpart to the east, (although he’s known to have spent time in Jersey), New York Mayor Eric Adams, who has publicly cooperated with the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.
In February, after the initial Safeguard raids, Mayor Adams and Border Czar Tom Homan met to discuss the city’s involvement with ICE raids. What followed was an incredibly awkward round of media appearances, in which Tom Homan alleged he’d be “up his butt”, if Adams didn’t hold his end of the “agreement.”
The agreement included allowing ICE back on Rikers Island for the first time since 2014. Then-Mayor Bill de Blasio eliminated the ICE office on Rikers during sanctuary city reforms. Mayor Adams signed the executive order allowing ICE back at the city’s most notorious jail in April.
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, you’d expect there to be two sides to an “agreement.” The Feds got their way, now what’s in it for Adams?
Funny enough, three days prior to the Adams–Homan meeting, the acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the Southern District of New York to drop the federal bribery charges against Eric Adams. He was charged with accepting bribes from a foreign government, Turkey, in exchange for campaign donations.
There must be a really good reason for the Deputy AG to drop federal charges against the mayor of the world’s biggest city–right?
“...the timing of the charges and more recent public actions by the former U.S. Attorney responsible for initiating the case have threatened the integrity of the proceedings, including by increasing prejudicial pretrial publicity that risks impacting potential witnesses and the jury pool” - acting Deputy AG Emil Bove in his memo to prosecutors.
Legalese and poor timing? I have no legal expertise, but I would argue that there is no bad time for justice! (If you make shirts, I get half.) Is there any other reason why the charges should be dropped?
“Second, the pending prosecution has unduly restricted Mayor Adams’ ability to devote full attention and resources to the illegal immigration and violent crime that escalated under the policies of the prior Administration” - Bove in memo sent Feb. 10, 2024.
There it is. Quid pro quo.
In March, a study from TRAC Reports showed the Trump removal per day numbers between January 26 and March 8 to be 10.9% lower than the Biden administration’s average. If we do some quick maths, Trump’s numbers were actually 45% lower than Obama’s peak in 2013.
Trump was deporting fewer people per day than Barack Obama. It is also worth noting that TRAC found that despite Trump’s “erratic” arrest tactics, they were 5.4% lower than Biden-era numbers.
The most recent numbers from Homan show 200,000 removals in four months, or around 57,000 fewer people than the Biden administration deported last year in the same Feb–May span. At the same time, the White House removed two top ICE officials, reportedly due to low numbers. Axios first reported a meeting involving Deputy Chief of Staff and creep ball Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem, where they “demanded” that ICE officials increase arrest and deportation numbers, even threatening to fire 10% of ICE field office leaders with the least arrests.
So not all is well in Trumpland. Zooming out from the immigration woes, he still hasn’t delivered on peace in Ukraine or in the Middle East. The “4D chess” tariff game has proven to be a farce, and the “Big Beautiful Bill” faces more and more pushback every day. Trump’s first business venture was real estate. Now, it’s press releases. It was high time for a “big, beautiful” one of those.
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / REUTERS
On June 6, ICE conducted raids on two Home Depot locations, a clothing manufacturer and up to four additional sites, according to immigration advocates. Forty-five people were arrested without warrants. The night of June 6 and the following day, Saturday June 7, were filled with protests across the city. Unlawful assemblies were declared, and flash bangs, tear gas and rubber bullets were fired upon protesters. The night of June 7, Tom Homan announced on– (where else?) Fox News that the National Guard will be deployed in an attempt to “restore order.”
The Deployment
The first night of protests took place near one of the Home Depots, a clothing store and most notably, outside the Metropolitan Detention Center, where most of the arrested migrants are sheltered. The LAPD declared an “unlawful assembly” around 7 p.m. PST Friday night. Estimates say roughly 200 people were ordered to disperse. Some became violent, throwing concrete and other projectiles at police, who responded with their own less-lethal rounds.
Also that evening, a large clash took place at a downtown LA federal building, where the DHS alleged “over 1,000 protestors” surrounded and vandalized the property, while LAPD took “2 hours to respond.”
Protestors face the U.S. National Guard outside of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles on Fri, Jan. 6th, 2025. | ERIC THAYER / AP
The two hour response time claim has been echoed by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and used as a justification for the National Guard deployment. The only sources to support that claim are ICE and DHS itself. But what does the LAPD have to say about it?
A senior LA city official confirmed to CBS News that the response time was under an hour, approximately 55 minutes, inflated due to "significant traffic congestion, the presence of demonstrators, and, notably, by the fact that federal agents had deployed irritants into the crowdprior to LAPD's arrival."
We're left with no choice but to decide whether to believe the city and discredit the federal government, or believe the federal government and discredit the city.
Over 250 arrests were made Friday night alone, and by Saturday, the federal government felt they had enough to deploy National Guard troops. At 5:13 p.m. local time, Gov. Newsom tweeted:
“The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000
soldiers. That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass also came out in opposition to the deployment, calling it “completely unnecessary” and a “chaotic escalation.”
Border Czar Tom Homan said Trump invoked Title 10. § 12406, which gives the government power to deploy the Guard if…
1) the U.S. is being invaded or faces the danger of invasion by a foreign nation
2) there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the U.S. government
3) the president is unable with regular forces to execute the laws of the U.S.
The closest possibility we’re faced with is the 2nd: the “rebellion” argument. A rebellion is usually defined as an “organized, armed and oftentimes violent resistance to government authority.”
If you’ve paid any attention to the violent protests, you can tell there’s not much organization.
LAPD has confirmed fewer than 10 TOTAL arrests for either possession of an illegal firearm, assault with a deadly weapon (1 total) and other charges relating.
Six confirmed weapons related arrests. Six.
Fireworks, rocks, garbage, concrete, traffic cones. Those are the “weapons” the “resistance” is “armed” with. Any major police force, including LAPD with their infamous SWAT Team, should be able to handle that.
Speaking with CBS Mornings on Wednesday, June 11, LAPD Chief Chris McDonnell had a different idea as to why the National Guard was deployed.
"We don't need the National Guard, and they are not here to help us right now," He said. "They are here to facilitate what the federal agencies are doing on the immigration front."
So not only are officials from California and the federal government at odds about sending the Guard, they also are not on the same page as to why the Guard was sent.
Trump vs. California is nothing new, but what about Trump versus himself? When asked about bringing in the National Guard during the 2020 protests, Trump had this to say to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos:
“We have to go by the laws. We can't move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there's no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case. We can't call in the National Guard unless we're requested by a governor."
“Calling insurrection” would involve invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which Trump and Homan have both admitted they do not have the justification for–likely because nothing happening in LA would compare to the acts committed by rioters at the Capitol on January 6, creating an obvious double standard.
CNN Chief White House Correspondent and certified girl boss Kaitlan Collins pressed Tom Homan on Trump’s 2020 comments. The full video is linked below, but Homan’s comments should have a line or two of their own.
“I'm not an attorney and all I know is I’m on calls with the heads of the DoD and DOJ, so you’ve got legal minds in both the DOJ and DoD are making these decisions” - Tom Homan on CNN.
To quote the great Rodrick Heffley, “Deny, Deny, Deny.” Or in this case, “deflect, deflect, deflect.”
Using the military as a piece of resistance – forcing members of service to stand a symbol for tyranny and authoritarianism–despite their individual political views.
Maybe Trump is playing chess – except the pieces he is moving (which he sees as pawns) are real people. And this game he’s playing has real consequences. If he continues to blunder and miss the best moves, it will be the back row, (him and his cronies) that will be cornered and checked out of power.
California
While appearing on MSNBC with Jacob Soboroff, Tom Homan was asked about the possibility of arresting Governor Newsom and Mayor Bass. He gave a provocative answer, though nothing particularly shocking. It boiled down to this:
“If she [Bass] crosses that line, we’ll ask DOJ to prosecute. Do I think she’s crossed the line yet?
I don’t think she’s crossed the line yet.”
Soboroff then met with Governor Newsom and asked a question that was a bit provocative itself, about Homan’s comments that in Soboroff’s words, “did not rule out literally arresting you or Mayor Bass,” To that, Newsom responded:
“Come after me. Arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy.”
Though much of this seems new – like we’re sailing through uncharted waters – some things will never change, such as the news media’s love of sensationalism. Soboroff knew what kind of answer he’d get from the “Border Czar” about Democrats from California. Homan did a good job of toeing the line between “they’ve done nothing wrong, but if they do we’ll arrest them.”
This story, or future campaign ad for Newsom, could not have been created without the media’s love for stirring the pot – something Trumpists love doing even more–before picking it up and dumping all of the contents out of the pot and down the drain.
Trump himself said that Homan should look into arresting Newsom, or in his words:
“I would do it if I were Tom. I think it’s great.”
Note that:
Trump, Homan and/or anybody in the White House, will never have the balls to pull anything like that. They’ll laugh about it, send memes about it on their Signal chats, but they will never follow through.
Back to California. At the time of this writing, the government has deployed 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to the LA area. At most, there are 2,100 Guardsmen on the ground around the city, 700 Marines ordered to protect federal property and the 2,000 additional guardsmen stationed nearby, ready to move in if necessary.
So what have been the effects? For starters, the city hasn’t been “completely obliterated”, but is that due to the thousands of boots on the ground sent in by Washington?
Source: City of Los Angeles, CNN
1 Graphic by: Rachel Wilson, CNN 2 Graphic: Renée Rigdon, CNN
1 Map of the 1 square mile large curfew zone. (City of LA is 500 sq mi.)
2 Map of “hot zones” (Wilshire Federal Building, Metro Detention Center and Paramount, CA)
Starting on Monday, the Guard’s first full day on the ground, over 100 arrests were made, and “numerous less-lethal rounds” were used. Two LAPD officers were hurt and treated at a hospital, since released.
Tuesday night was even more intense. Over 220 people were arrested, another two LAPD officers were injured and again, “numerous less-lethal rounds were used.” That was by far the most active night of the protests.
The same day, 700 Marines arrived in the L.A. area. Confirmed by Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman, no troops have engaged in arrests or utilized crowd control tactics.
Maj. Gen. Sherman actually had to correct himself, because he viewed a video that he thought was Guardsmen detaining civilians, but he misidentified an unrelated video.
Kind of concerning when the guy in charge doesn’t know what’s going on with his own troops and speaks publicly about things in a matter of fact tone. Corrections and walkbacks are too low for a Major General.
“Morale is not great,” with troops forced to sleep on the ground, sometimes outside. Nothing has been confirmed yet, Thursday has been the intended deadline for proper housing quarters.
In classic Trump fashion, the soldiers have not been paid yet. Which, frankly, sounds like something that would happen under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On the topic of costs, this “at least 60-day operation” will cost $134M. Hegseth has emphasized that the 60-day timeline is a minimum, and stated “we’re not going anywhere.”
For reference, National Public Radio, NPR, cost taxpayers $83 million per year, and the 2026 budget request justification asked for $119 million. On Thursday, the House approved funding cuts for NPR, in addition to PBS funding and foreign aid, totaling $9.4 billion.
Now is not the time to be distracted by the additional injustices carried out by the Trump administration. Maybe the deployment is the point, a distraction.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Recalling earlier figures about poor deportation numbers, the turmoil caused by the “big, beautiful bill”, Elon’s (despite deleted, still very real) accusation of Trump being named in the Epstein files. We can also look at the funding cuts for public entities and foreign aid, his failure to deliver peace in Ukraine and the Middle East and soon, the tariff-related shortages and price surges will hit our stores.
Trump's approval ratings continue to fall – especially his numbers on immigration and the economy, his strongest issues. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. He’s losing more than he’s winning in court – even his “wins”, which amount to the Supreme Court granting “partial relief” and allowing the enforcement of some orders – likely won’t last.
This all in the week leading up to Trump’s Birthday Parade, disguised as a celebration of the Army’s 250th anniversary and Flag Day. Army spokesperson Heather J. Hagan estimated the parade would cost $25 to $45 million, with the Army spending money on steel plates for roads, which are easily damaged by tanks and other military vehicles. A “viewing stand” will be built for the President, likely similar to those used by Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin.
Trump wanted to hold a parade in 2018. It was originally estimated to cost $12 to $30 million, but later estimates said it would cost $80 million MORE than originally estimated. Who knows if we’ll see a higher bill after this weekend.
In 2022, The New Yorker reported that Air Force Gen. Paul Selva had an “impassioned speech” for the president that showed his opposition.
“So, what do you think of the parade?” Trump asked Selva.
“I didn’t grow up in the United States, I actually grew up in Portugal,”
“Portugal was a dictatorship—and parades were about showing the people who had the guns.
And in this country, we don’t do that.”
“It’s not who we are.”
Even after this impassioned speech, Trump still did not get it. “So, you don’t like the idea?” he said, incredulous.
“No,” Selva said. "It’s what dictators do."
The now-retired Air Force Gen. Paul Selva. Selva served 39 years in the military.
Today, Trump no longer has these people around. That’s why his cabinet and secretary picks are made up of a bunch of Trumpist influencers disguised as professionals. Multiple Fox News hosts, Matt Gaetz, the entire Island of Misfit Activists – like Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., Kash Patel and Vivek Ramaswamy. Matt. Gaetz.
These aren’t people who are qualified for the jobs they hold. Or in a couple of cases, tried to hold. A weekend host is leading the Department of Defense. Not even someone with a weekday primetime slot.
Somehow even more unserious than the first term, the first five months of Trump have been nothing but a show. But also, a significant test for our democracy.
To Wrap
While politicians call to arrest each other, a United States Senator is forcibly removed from a press conference, then canine killer/DHS Sec. Kristi Noem lied on national television saying the Senator, who is one of two people to hold that title in the state she is visiting, never identified himself, which was the first thing he did. The country is being drawn away from other serious issues.
In the case of Sen. Alex Padilla, Noem knew what she was doing. She kept talking while an elected representative was shoved out and temporarily detained. Speaking of press releases and optics, she may be the biggest culprit. Noem is headlining an ad campaign about illegal immigration, and her nonstop pursuit of the perfect photo op has been one of her top priorities since her rise to conservative stardom as Governor of South Dakota.
Here we are, five months into the administration. The post-WWII model of the world has been forever reshaped. America’s reputation is taking a hit across the globe, and the world sees China and President Xi more favourably than the US and Trump.
With over $700 million in cuts to Medicaid, rural hospitals would be forced to shut down and almost 8 million people would become uninsured in the next decade. $300 million worth of SNAP funding will disappear and America could lose its public broadcasting.
California senator Alex Padilla forcibly being removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference on Thursday, June 12th, 2025. | DAVID CRANE / MEDIANEWS GROUP / LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
If you took the time to click a couple of the links in this piece, there’s a decent chance you would’ve come across an article from NPR, PBS or a media entity funded by taxpayers or donations. Despite the propaganda, they are some of the most unbiased, fair and reliable sources you can use for your own research.
They are not owned or controlled by one person or a corporation with personal or business interests. These institutions have survived countless administrations, both Republican and Democrat, who have tried to cut or dock funding from them. They've prevailed because they are important, but in a time like today, it takes a backseat to many issues.
All the while Trump and his family have become $2.9 billion richer from their crypto “endeavors.” (Schemes)
While the Trumps get richer, members of the government capitalize off of inside information to make large stock trades, China becomes an even greater threat and for a while, the world’s richest man was cutting funding from the world’s poorest children – the Americans that were supposed to be “put first” continue to suffer.
And now our own military is being used against its own people. While Trump and the Republicans assure you that they are the ones who will “fight” for you and your best interest, they’ll benefit from the tax cuts that will gut the working class they pimp for votes.
CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES
So while Trump claims he’ll protect police, he pardons January 6th rioters convicted of attacking them. And when comparing people in L.A. to enemies of the American people, the soldiers that will fight that “war” will be the neighbors of the “enemy."
The Trump administration is rich. They have the money and they have the power. They have the abilities to make themselves richer in ways that were once illegal.
The rest of us are poor. Bound by the decisions the goons in Washington decide to make that day. Not privy to the inside information or double standards of justice that now apply.
And, “when the rich wage war, it is the poor who die.''
— Jean-Paul Sartre
(!) The views and opinions expressed in this piece are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Recess Bell, its staff, any affiliated organization or the author's employer. All content is intended for informational and commentary purposes only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement, factual assertion, or any official position on any individual, company or public figure referenced.
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