On June 6, a routine immigration raid in Los Angeles triggered a wave of protests that quickly swept across the United States. Curfews, tear gas, drones, and arrests followed. What started as a local issue has now exploded into a full-scale political crisis.
And yet, as cities burned and people choked on tear gas, Donald Trump showed up—smiling—at the Kennedy Center in Washington to watch Les Misérables.
Yes. That Les Misérables—a musical about the suffering poor rising up against a corrupt system.
The irony isn’t subtle. It’s a slap in the face.
A Nation on Fire
Protests broke out in Seattle, San Antonio, Chicago, New York, and even small cities like Spokane. The demands are clear:
End mass immigration raids
Dismantle ICE
Withdraw National Guard troops from cities
A mother arrested in San Antonio said:
“I’ve lived here 15 years. My children are citizens. I’m not a threat. I clean offices.”
A Broadway actor in New York refused to perform:
“If we ignore what’s happening to people outside this theater, then what we’re doing on stage is a lie.”
The Collapse of Federalism
California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly rejected the use of federal troops. Trump ignored him and took control of the state’s National Guard—something not done since 1965.
Then came the Hobbs Act: the Attorney General declared the federal government could prosecute state-level crimes, bypassing California courts altogether.
This isn’t enforcement. This is federal occupation.
Trump deployed 700 U.S. Marines to Los Angeles with direct arrest authority. Rubber bullets flew, flashbangs exploded, drones circled above. Over 600 people were arrested in six days. One night alone saw 203 arrests.
And Trump promised to bring the same “order” to New York and Illinois next.
An Economic Breakdown in Progress
In California’s Central Valley, farmers are sounding the alarm:
“Our fruit will rot in the fields. There’s no one left to pick it.”
When you deport labor, you don’t just hurt families—you break the food chain.
Les Misérables – or a Mirror of America?
While the country burns, Trump sits in a velvet seat watching Les Misérables.
He’s the only one not getting the joke.
Jean Valjean was hunted for stealing bread. Today, undocumented workers are dragged out of homes and detained for simply existing.
The theater tells a story of resistance. Outside, America is living it.
Protesters surrounded the Kennedy Center. Actors refused to perform. Trump’s only response:
“I don’t care.”
Final Act – or First Chapter?
That night, two versions of Les Misérables played out:
One on stage—with actors, scripts, and applause.
One on the streets—with real people, real tear gas, and no intermission.
History may remember this scene:
The president watches a tragedy unfold on stage, while the real tragedy plays out in the streets.
The question is:
Can this country survive Act Two?
