Forum Topic

Trump goes ape over LA

In a pathetic attempt to justify sending 4,000 National Guards and 700 Marines into Los Angeles, Trump said on Truth Social: "A once great American City, Los Angeles, has been invaded and occupied by Illegal Aliens and Criminals. Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents ..." and the FBI director, Kash Patel, wrote on X that LA was "under siege by marauding criminals."Those were the claims, but the reality is shown in this map from the NYT:

Richard Carter ● 50d17 Comments

Did they supported Bill Clinton I wonder?"Former United States President Bill Clinton asserted that the legislation strengthened "the rule of law by cracking down on illegal immigration at the border, in the workplace, and in the criminal justice system — without punishing those living in the United States legally".""Expedited removals can be considered removals without hearings: these removals do not require judicial review by immigration judges within the Executive Office of Immigration "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_Immigration_Reform_and_Immigrant_Responsibility_Act_of_1996

Ed Robinson ● 47d

Mr Hawkes. Isn't the US economy dependent on cheap labour; students, legal and illegal immigrants. As I understand it, many illegal immigrants have acquired social security numbers and paid taxes, often for several decades; isn't that how ICE identity them? And, even many restaurant, cafe and bar staff depend on tips, even if they were born US citizens. I don't think some Republicans or Democrats would worry if labour is illegal provided it's cheap enough ...

Michael Ixer ● 47d

Mr Robinson'Do your friends and yourself also condemn Clinton and Obama over their mass deportation programs?'Of course they don't.I would suspect they are all paid up liberal Democrats who have their houses cleaned, their lawns cut, their babies minded and their cars washed by immigrants, often illegal, taking cash in hand.They are happy with access to this supply of cheap labour and their concerns are nothing to do with human rights.And anyway they live downtown and only see them when they come to work for us.If I am wrong then I am sure Mr Ixer will pass on my apologies.

John Hawkes ● 47d

Mr Ixer'The decision suggested that the scale of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign is hurting industries and constituencies that he does not want to lose'.Those that rely on cheap labour.

John Hawkes ● 47d

"The decision suggested that the scale of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign is hurting industries.."Surely it can only be large scale if the problem is huge.Do your friends and yourself also condemn Clinton and Obama over their mass deportation programs?Obama according to several sources deported  1.18 million people with half a million in one year.https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20200109/110349/HHRG-116-GO00-20200109-SD007.pdf

Ed Robinson ● 47d

As, I noted, a US friend, who probably knows more about the US situation than the people of Putney, said the immigration crackdown might be damaging": now the New York Times Trump administration told immigration agents to largely stop conducting raids on farms, hotels and restaurants.The Trump administration has abruptly shifted the focus of its mass deportation campaign, telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to largely pause raids and arrests in the agricultural industry, hotels and restaurants, according to an internal email and three U.S. officials with knowledge of the guidance.The decision suggested that the scale of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign is hurting industries and constituencies that he does not want to lose.

Michael Ixer ● 47d

"Who is glorifying extremely violent riots abroad?"No one as clearly they are protests and not riots :)"Which other US cities have joined LA's protests over immigration raids?"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj09604yrpzoIf the UK is in favour of riots they will be termed as protests but if it is against they will be termed riots."Los Angeles protests: mayor says unrest ‘provoked by White House’ after more than 200 arrested during curfew – live"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jun/11/la-protests-los-angeles-curfew-ice-california-governor-donald-trump-us-politics-latest-updates-newsOn Radio 4 yesterday, Israeli cabinet members that were sanctioned were labelled as "right wing" but traditional conservatives in the EU are labeled far right.

Ed Robinson ● 49d

Hello Ed,Who is glorifying extremely violent riots abroad?

Ivonne Holliday ● 49d

One of the things I notice about some British people is how they like to glorify extremely violent riots abroad when it aligns with their policy view.Unlike the UK, I doubt any of the rioters will be getting serious jail time for looting, a bottle of water, a soap on road or a Greggs sausage roll. Which oddly enough it is decriminalised the rest of the there hundred odd days of the week when there is not a riot.Yesterday Tesla were the Green brigade's idol. Today they seem to be happy, just like the Nord Stream, to set fire to them and low them up!

Ed Robinson ● 49d

"they weren't spending sufficient time in the US"The green card is a visa and just like the UK's visas it has rules about spending time abroad.A visa is a privilege not a right. Terms and conditions apply and they can be revoked.You haven't said how much time they were spending abroad so the example is meaningless.

Ed Robinson ● 49d

Ms Holliday'The United States is a constitutional federal republic, in which the president (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments'.Don't tell us: get down to Nine Elms to inform them and then ask them to pass this information on to Trump.

John Hawkes ● 50d

The proble is Trump keeps changing the rules by executive order and apparently even the DHS seemed unclear if this. Yes, Mr Hawkes, over the decades I have accumulated a lot of friends, doesn't everyone? 

Michael Ixer ● 50d

Hello Richard,I agree with you. Trump is behaving like an autocrat.According to the US Constitution, the measures Trump adopted should have been taken in agreement with the Governor of California, not imposed. The United States is a constitutional federal republic, in which the president (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.

Ivonne Holliday ● 50d

Good on Trump for taking such strong measures to protect his country's borders and it's a pity we don't have such a strong leader here to protect ours.  Starmer spent years defending immigrants rights to remain and now doesn't show any real commitment to kick them out.  Cooper, the droning gob-on-a-stick, repeats the same tired old rhetoric about 'smashing the gangs' which just are empty words with no tangible meaning.  1200 illegals in just one day on 29th May and the numbers will continue to skyrocket because we have two impotent fools who are way out of their depth.

Sue Hammond ● 50d

Mr Ixer,'Another US friend has said the US economy is being damaged by the blitz on illegal - and legal - immigrants who have visas'.You have so many friends !And I am sure if they play by the rules they will be fine.I also expect the US economy will survive this attempt to control the country's borders.NB figures published in the Independent on 2nd June 2025 -'Nearly 1,200 migrants arrived in the UK on Saturday, crossing the English Channel from France in small boats, new government figures have revealed.The Home Office confirmed that 1,194 migrants made the journey in 18 boats, capitalising on settled weather conditions.This marks the highest number recorded on a single day this year, bringing the provisional annual total to 14,811'.If Yvette Cooper can't contain this, will Angela Raynor be able to build enough homes to accommodate them all or are shares in hotel chains worth a punt ?!

John Hawkes ● 50d

Trump is also hassling UK citizens with green cards. A friend who recently entered the US who is married to a US citizen was recently told by the DHS when entering the US that they weren't spending sufficient time in the US, the obvious threat being that his green card could be cancelled. (They were advised that they should cancel future travel outside of the US!)Another US friend has said the US economy is being damaged by the blitz on illegal - and legal - immigrants who have visas. 

Michael Ixer ● 50d

Mr CarterOff the anti-Israel bandwagon and straight onto the anti-Trump one.If Israel is supposed to be committing genocide on the Palestinians, who is Trump trying to exterminate ?Or is he just trying to maintain his country's borders and allow into it those that have legal entitlement and would be welcome by its legal citizens ?That was an election commitment he made don't you, with your microscopic focus on American politics, remember.Isn't that what Labour's Starmer and Cooper have promised the British people especially as regard the illegal 'boat people' immigrants ?

John Hawkes ● 50d