Trump Unleashes Federal Agents on Democratic Politicians

President Donald Trump has moved into full-blown fascist mode, as he deploys troops against protestors and allows Federal agents to rough up opposition politicians. Over the last few weeks, Americans have been shocked by acts of official violence that simply do not occur in democratic countries. Less than five months after Trump returned to the White House, the US has become a “competitive authoritarian” regime, rather than a true democracy.

Trump has not yet installed a dictatorship, but he has shredded many democratic traditions and constraints on his power. Trump rules by fear and intimidation—the hallmarks of an autocrat-- rather than by persuasion and coalition-building, as democratic politicians do.

Trump has cowed many media companies, law firms and tech companies into submission, and he is trying to bring universities under his control, too. But citizens can still protest, and Trump and his party must face voters at the polls. So this is an authoritarian regime that still faces competition…assuming the 2026 elections will be free and fair.

The Trump regime has arrested or detained five public officials since April—four of them Democrats—and the agents’ tactics have grown increasingly aggressive. In each case, agents arrested or harassed officials who opposed President Trump’s harsh crackdown on immigrants.

These are not random, isolated incidents of rogue behavior by Federal officials; they reflect a deliberate strategy to intimidate the opposition. Trump is using his immigration dragnet to provoke protests, so that he can “justify” using the military and Federal agents against Democratic politicians.

The President seems to have the upper hand, but the cause is not lost. The massive protests on “No Kings Day” showed that the resistance to his despotic regime has regained momentum and is strong. This will be a tough fight, but there is still hope that we can keep our democracy.

Giving Federal Agents Free Rein

The President and Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, have clearly authorized the FBI, Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies to take the gloves off when they are handling Democratic officials. A pattern of abusive behavior has emerged in these encounters:

· Using excessive, unnecessary force

· Manhandling high-profile politicians

· Agents wearing masks

· Lying to justify the arrests

Trump is delivering a message: I will not tolerate acts of defiance or protest by state or Federal officials. I have the power to arrest you, and I will.

Will Trump’s next step be: I have the power to throw you in jail, and I will …?

Targeting Democrats

In late April, FBI agents arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan. The FBI charged the judge with obstructing justice because she tried to help an immigrant avoid arrest. The judge was outraged when she learned that FBI agents were waiting outside her courtroom to arrest a man who had appeared before her in a routine court hearing. The FBI released the judge, but Federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit against her.

In May, Federal agents arrested Ras Baraka, the Democratic mayor of Newark, and charged Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), in connection with a clash outside an immigrant detention center in Newark. McIver and two other Representatives wanted to inspect the center as part of Congressional oversight of Trump’s immigrant roundup program. The FBI claimed that Rep. McIver assaulted a Federal agent, but she denied that.

Last week, Federal agents manhandled Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), shoved him onto the floor and handcuffed him—even though he had identified himself. Padilla had entered a room in Los Angeles where Secretary Noem was holding a press conference to defend the deployment of the National Guard in that city. The Senator was attempting to ask a question when the agents grabbed him and wrestled him into an adjoining corridor.

Sen. Padilla was wearing a windbreaker, not a suit, but his shirt bore a prominent logo that said “U.S. Senate”. Furthermore, as the agents put their hands on him, he said, “I’m Senator Alex Padilla. I have questions for the Secretary. Because the fact of the matter is…”, Padilla started to say and then exclaimed to the agents, “Hands off!”

Government officials tried to justify the assault on Padilla by claiming falsely that the Senator did not identify himself.

Sen. Alex Padilla and federal agents/ photo: Getty Images

Noem on “Liberating” Los Angeles

It is easy to understand why Sen. Padilla wanted to question Noem. She had just used misleading, highly inflammatory language to describe the situation in LA:

“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city.” (emphasis added)

The Secretary was implying that the city had to be “liberated” because it was under foreign occupation, reflecting the Administration’s lies about an “invasion” by immigrants. Neither Gov. Gavin Newsom nor LA Mayor Karen Bass is a socialist.

I have some questions for the Secretary, too. Noem must know what Sen. Padilla looks like. Why didn’t she tell the agents to let him pose his question to her? After all, she was holding a press conference. Why did she allow the agents to rough him up?

Latest Target: New Yorker Brad Lander

Five days after Federal agents assaulted Sen. Padilla, they arrested Brad Lander. He is the Comptroller of New York City, one of its most senior officials, and a candidate for mayor. Lander was escorting an immigrant who had just left a hearing in immigration court, as he had done several times before.

ICE agents have ramped up their apprehensions to meet stiff new quotas imposed by the Trump regime. They previously did not enter courthouses, but now they are arresting immigrants whose cases have just been dismissed by judges.

As Federal agents closed in on the immigrant, Lander held the man’s arm, trying to protect him against arrest. Lander was wearing a suit. As the agents laid hands on him, Lander said, “Where is your judicial warrant? I am an American citizen. You cannot arrest me”.

The agents, at least one of whom was masked, threw Lander against a wall and handcuffed him. On the video Lander’s eyes are bulging, either from fright or anger.

Dissing the Governor

Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York, rushed to the courthouse and asked to see Lander. The Federal agents refused for an hour and a half to let the Governor of New York speak to the Comptroller of her state’s largest city. However, they eventually told Hochul that they would release Lander without charges. He was freed after being held for three hours.

When a journalist asked Hochul for her reaction to Lander’s arrest, the Governor said, “It’s bullshit. How dare they? “

ICE officials have justified their arrest by claiming that Lander assaulted an agent. The video shows that several agents encircled and grabbed Lander, not vice versa.

Sending in the Marines

In his first term, Trump wanted to deploy the military against protestors, but principled officials refused to let him do that. Now, those guardrails are gone. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the President has the authority to dispatch troops to any city where Trump deems it necessary—that is, to quell protests--even if local and state officials object.

Trump’s misuse of the National Guard and the Marines violates the Posse Comitatus Act and the fundamental American tradition of keeping the military out of law enforcement. Trump is relying on an obscure law that allows the deployment of troops to counter an invasion or rebellion. A Federal district court issued a decision ordering the President to withdraw the National Guard units from LA, noting that neither an invasion nor a rebellion had taken place there.

Unfortunately, a Federal appellate court has stayed the lower court’s order. While hearing arguments on the case, the judges signaled that they might defer to the President’s decision on deploying troops, rather than second-guessing him. The court is ignoring the plain meaning of the statute as well as the facts on the ground. Not surprisingly, two of the three appellate judges are Trump appointees.

Chilling Prospects …But Some Hope

If the appellate court upholds Trump’s ability to deploy troops, we should expect him to mobilize the National Guard and the Marines to frighten protestors in numerous Blue cities. We should also expect the Trump regime to harass and arrest Democratic politicians and officials, as part of its intimidation campaign.

As we approach the midterm elections, will Trump conjure up another false “emergency”, claiming that the Democrats are engaging in massive voting fraud? In his first term, several advisors urged him to use the military to seize voting machines. However, top Pentagon officials refused to subvert the democratic process. This time, Hegseth, Noem and his other toadies will no doubt carry out his orders without question.

These possible scenarios are chilling. However, Trump’s dictatorial tactics might backfire on him. Four to five million Americans demonstrated against the President on No Kings Day. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Washington, D.C. residents staged a silent protest, by boycotting Trump’s tank-studded parade. They ruined his birthday party...and sent a strong message.

Trump faces a reinvigorated opposition. If the President resorts to more violent, militaristic tactics, history indicates that the opposition to his rule will grow.

Like other authoritarians, Trump thinks that he can ignore public opinion and ram through deeply unpopular measures, such as his tariffs and huge tax cuts for the rich. Like other despots, Trump tends to overreach. There is no guarantee that Trump will self-destruct and spark a democratic revival, but he might.

It all depends on how Americans react to his tyranny.

The Wall Street Democrat