COLUMN: Trump Lets Democratic Cities Deal with Their Own Riots

A Significant Change in Command

Trump’s announcement comes after the replacement of Border Patrol Chief Greg Bovino with “border czar” Tom Homan. Homan said Thursday that federal agents would now focus on targeted operations in Minneapolis, moving away from the broad street sweeps that have sparked outrage. Homan also said he would reduce the number of agents deployed in the city if he received cooperation from state and local leaders. This change in strategy marks an apparent softening of the White House’s tone on stricter immigration policies, although the substance of the policy remains unchanged.

Tom Homan, Greg Bovino—names that fade like shadows in a power shuffle. Trump changes the faces, but not the policies. It’s a sleight of hand, an illusion of change. Agents remain on the ground, searches continue, and arrests go on. Only the method changes. It’s as if an executioner were to switch swords to try to appear more humane. The violence is the same; only the form differs. I am sickened by this charade.

The Red Line Trump Won’t Cross

In his post on Truth Social, Trump was clear on one point: ICE and the Border Patrol will continue to aggressively protect federal buildings. He wrote that there would be no spitting in the faces of his officers, no kicking or punching their car headlights, and no throwing of rocks or bricks at their vehicles or at his “Patriot Warriors .” If this happens, those responsible will face equal or greater consequences, he warned. He added that he would not allow his courts, federal buildings, or anything else under his protection to be damaged in any way.

This warlike rhetoric, these “Patriot Warriors,” this glorification of legitimate violence… it makes my blood run cold. Trump is turning police officers into soldiers in a personal army, into defenders of a besieged empire. He is erecting concrete monuments as sacred altars. In his equation, buildings are worth more than human lives. It’s a dehumanized vision of the state, where stone takes precedence over flesh, where symbols trump humanity. I tremble for the future.

Elected Officials Divided in the Face of Federal Pressure

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and other officials have challenged the state’s crackdown on immigration enforcement, arguing that DHS is violating constitutional protections. However, a federal judge ruled that she would not suspend enforcement operations while the lawsuit proceeds. Attorneys for the Department of Justice have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous.” Local leaders thus find themselves caught in a vise between pressure from protesters demanding the withdrawal of federal agents and the intransigence of a federal administration that refuses to back down.

Keith Ellison and other Democratic elected officials are trying to hold their ground, to play their part in this crumbling system. But how can one fight a tsunami with a beach umbrella? The courts, supposed to be the last bulwark against arbitrary power, seem either powerless or complicit. I fear for these elected officials who are fighting with the weapons of democracy against an enemy that no longer plays by the rules. It’s an uneven battle.

Alex Pretti and Renee Good, just two of many

The deaths of Alex Pretti on January 14 and Renee Good on January 7 at the hands of federal agents sent shockwaves across the country. The agents claimed they were responding to threats, but videos from bystanders and eyewitness accounts contradict those claims. These deaths became the catalyst for the massive protests that rocked Minneapolis and other American cities. Yet beyond the newspaper headlines and the slogans on the signs, two lives were cut short, two families were shattered, and two stories ended tragically in a shooting that should never have happened.

Alex. Renee. Two first names that echo in my head like the tolling of a bell. Who were they really? What did they love? What were their dreams, their hopes, their fears? News articles tell us how they died, but not how they lived. That’s what outrages me: the anonymity imposed on victims of state violence. They become statistics, symbols, martyrs—but we forget that they were people in their own right. I cried thinking about their families.

A Risky Political Move

This new directive from Trump is part of a broader strategy of confrontation with cities and states led by Democrats. He has already sent federal agents or National Guard members to several cities, including Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon. He claims that these deployments are necessary to enforce immigration laws and control crime. Local leaders in most of these cities dispute this claim. The apparent withdrawal from managing the protests could be a calculated move to force local officials to request federal assistance, which would put them in a politically awkward position.

This is what Trump does best: turning every crisis into a political opportunity. Every death becomes an argument, every protest becomes leverage, every tragedy becomes ammunition. He plays chess with human lives, calculating every move years in advance. Do people really see what’s happening? Or are emotions—fear and anger—blinding them? I find it hard to believe that America could accept this cold, relentless logic.

An Unprecedented Mobilization

The protests on January 30 and 31, 2026, marked a turning point in the opposition to Trump’s immigration policies. Thousands of people took to the streets not only in Minneapolis but across the country, expressing their anger and despair at the growing militarization of immigration enforcement. General strikes were organized, sit-ins took place in stores, and marches brought entire communities together. This movement goes far beyond the issue of immigration to touch on the very foundations of American democracy and the constitutional rights of all citizens.

When I see these images of immense crowds, these determined faces, these arms raised in defiance, I feel something that resembles hope. America is waking up, rising up, refusing to be silenced. But this hope is tempered by fear: the fear that all of this will be crushed, that state violence will prevail once again, that words will no longer be enough in the face of bullets. I admire their courage, but I tremble for them.

The Limits of the Separation of Powers

The legal battle surrounding the federal deployment in Minnesota highlights the growing tensions between federal and local authorities in the U.S. system. Attorney General Ellison and other plaintiffs argue that DHS is overstepping its constitutional authority by conducting operations of this scale without local cooperation. The federal judge’s refusal to intervene raises troubling questions about the judiciary’s ability to act as an effective check on the executive branch in this polarized political climate.

The Constitution, that sacred document that has guided America for more than two centuries, seems to be crumbling under the pressure of urgency and exceptional circumstances. The checks and balances—everything that was supposed to protect democracy from tyranny—seems to be breaking down. I fear that we are witnessing the end of an era, the collapse of a system once believed to be indestructible. It’s like watching a centuries-old tree fall in a storm.

An Uncertain Future

Trump’s decision to withdraw federal authorities from managing protests in Democratic cities marks a new stage in American political polarization. While some see this as a sign of de-escalation, others fear it is a cynical ploy aimed at forcing local officials to request federal assistance. The protests continue, the demands remain the same, and the anger has not subsided. Minneapolis remains a symbol of a divided America, of a nation in crisis, of a democratic project being put to the test as rarely before. Time will tell whether this decision leads to de-escalation or to a new spiral of violence.

I sit here, in front of my screen, and wonder what history will remember about this era—about these days when America faltered, when democracy trembled, when lives were shattered for political reasons. Trump may believe he has won this round, but at what cost? The cost of trust, the cost of unity, the cost of a nation’s soul. I watch the images from Minneapolis and weep for this country I once loved, for this American dream that seems to be fading away. And I wonder: will we ever be able to recover from this? Will we ever be able to heal these wounds? I’m afraid of the answer.

Signed, Jacques Provost