Disproportional Response
In a recent post, I wrote that what we’re living through isn’t classic authoritarianism — it’s the Mob, in the Mafia sense. Power maintained through loyalty, fear, and intimidation.
What we’re seeing is that same ethos turned into government practice: public displays of dominance meant to send a message. The tactics vary — helicopters over Chicago, warships in the Caribbean — but the theme is the same: disproportional response.
ICE Raids & Immigration Enforcement
Recent immigration enforcement actions have taken a dramatic and alarming turn.
In Chicago, ICE agents used Black Hawk helicopters to descend on an apartment complex and detain roughly three dozen people as part of Operation Midway Blitz. (Reuters, Oct. 4, 2025)
The operation reportedly swept up entire families, including U.S. citizens, and sparked protests outside a nearby ICE facility — peaceful protests that were met with tear gas and pepper balls from federal agents. (Reuters, Oct. 3, 2025)
Many of the violations being pursued are civil infractions, not crimes. Unlawful presence in the United States is handled through administrative removal, not criminal prosecution.
Yet the tactics being deployed — helicopters, heavily armed agents, and mass detentions — suggest a war footing rather than law enforcement proportionality.
At the same time, the administration is attempting to revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who had been allowed to live and work in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
As the Associated Press reports:
“Trump’s Republican administration has moved to withdraw various protections that have allowed immigrants to remain in the United States and work legally, including ending TPS for a total of 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians who were granted protection under President Joe Biden.”
TPS is typically renewed in 18-month increments to protect people from returning to unsafe conditions, such as political persecution or natural disasters.
The Supreme Court recently allowed the administration’s TPS terminations for Venezuelans to proceed while litigation continues, leaving hundreds of thousands in limbo. (Reuters, Oct. 3, 2025)
Ongoing lawsuits — including National TPS Alliance v. Noem — challenge the legality of those terminations.
National Guard Deployments in U.S. Cities
The militarization of domestic policy doesn’t stop at immigration.
The administration has deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles and Washington D.C., citing concerns about “urban instability” — but in both cases, the deployments occurred without formal requests from local leaders. (AP News, Sept. 2025)
City officials and civil rights advocates argue that the presence of troops has done little to improve safety and much to heighten tension.
Meanwhile, the White House has threatened to send the Guard into Chicago, despite opposition from the mayor and governor, who argue that local law enforcement has the situation under control.
And as of this week, 200 National Guard troops have been activated in Portland, Oregon, amid warnings of possible unrest (NBC News, Oct. 3, 2025)
Local leaders said they were not consulted before the activation, calling it an unnecessary provocation.
At the same time, the administration has begun using military lawyers as temporary immigration judges, after firing over a hundred existing civilian judges. (AP News, Sept. 24, 2025)
Legal experts warn that this move blurs the line between civilian and military authority, potentially violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits the use of armed forces in domestic law enforcement. (AP News, Sept. 25, 2025)
The Senate Judiciary Committee has expressed “deep concern” about this unprecedented blending of military and judicial functions.
Caribbean Military Strikes
Abroad, similar patterns of overreach are emerging.
The U.S. military has deployed eight warships and a submarine to the Caribbean and carried out multiple strikes on boats allegedly linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. (AP News, Sept. 2025)
So far, four incidents have been reported, yet the Pentagon has provided little evidence or public justification for the level of force used.
The operations have strained regional diplomacy.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for international criminal investigations into the attacks. (AP News, Sept. 2025)
In retaliation, the U.S. State Department revoked Petro’s visa, prompting Colombia’s foreign minister to renounce hers in protest.
Meanwhile, Venezuela has begun preparing for a possible U.S. invasion, moving troops and anti-ship defenses closer to its northern coast. (AP News, Sept. 2025)
These moves — rapid, aggressive, and lacking transparency — suggest a foreign policy driven more by optics than strategy.
Cruelty as Performance
Which brings us back to the central question: what is all of this for?
The level of force being deployed — whether against immigrant families, American cities, or foreign vessels — bears little relation to the scale of the supposed threats.
The costs of these actions, both human and diplomatic, far exceed any tangible benefit.
They appear instead to be performative — demonstrations of strength meant to project dominance or distract from failures elsewhere, particularly in economic and domestic policy.
History shows that governments resort to spectacle when substance falters.
When leaders lean on intimidation rather than competence, they reveal weakness, not power.
And when cruelty becomes performance, it stops being policy and starts being propaganda.
Final Thoughts
A government confident in its legitimacy doesn’t need to terrorize the vulnerable or flex its military might to feel powerful.
It governs through reason, restraint, and respect for human dignity.
What we’re seeing now — at home and abroad — is something else entirely: a politics of fear wearing the costume of strength.