Anti-ICE riots reveal the left has learned nothing. It's just handed Trump a gift

Immigration enforcement raids in L.A. spark violent protests as Democratic leaders denounce the operations while remaining largely silent on the ensuing riots and property destruction.

Rafael A. Mangual is the Nick Ohnell fellow and head of research for the Manhattan Institute’s Policing & Public Safety Initiative, and a contributing editor of City Journal. He is also the author of "Criminal (In)Justice: What the Push for Decarceration and Depolicing Gets Wrong and Who It Hurts Most."

Progressive groups’ denunciations of the raids were even harsher. The ACLU called the enforcement plan an "oppressive and vile paramilitary operation," while a spokesperson for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network referred to the arrests as kidnappings.

As word of the campaign spread, the protests quickly devolved into riots. Social media feeds were soon filled with scenes reminiscent of the violent unrest of summer 2020: looting, crowds surrounding burning vehicles, rocks thrown at law-enforcement cars, American flags set aflame, and the 101 freeway shut down.