In the days since Donald Trump directed his "Secretary of War" to marshal troops against "domestic terrorists" in Portland, encouraging the use of "full force" in a city he likened to a "war zone," I have been hanging around the demonstration that the president wants to crush. What I've found is an atmosphere that is more like a carnival than combat.
Donald Trump and Kristi Noem and Tom Homan said they were targeting the worst of the worst criminals. They lied and they continue to lie. Sixty percent of the individuals that ICE has taken in Illinois this year have no criminal convictions of any kind. ICE is running around the Loop harassing people for not being white. Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States. Now, ICE is making it commonplace. That's not making America great.
Misinformation surrounding immigration protests in Los Angeles is rampant, distorting public perception and overshadowing the complexity of the actual events taking place.