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Will Illegal Immigration Break the Nation Apart?
Protesters clash with law enforcement in downtown Los Angeles on June 8, 2025. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Illegal immigration is the issue of our age—and the latest act in our unending constitutional drama.
By Matthew Continetti
06.09.25 — U.S. Politics
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Over the weekend, parts of Los Angeles County turned into a postapocalyptic wasteland.

Mobs tried to block law enforcement while waving Mexican flags. Masked men threw rocks, stones, and electric scooters at police officers. They set cars ablaze. They shot lethal fireworks at ICE agents.

Local authorities were ineffective. “We are overwhelmed as far as the number of people engaging in this type of activity and the types of things that they’re doing,” LAPD chief Jim McDonnell said at a Sunday night briefing.

President Trump provided support. He ordered 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles County. Meanwhile, Governor Gavin Newsom reacted in fury. “We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved,” Newsom posted on X. He plans to sue.

One lesson is clear: Illegal immigration is the focal point of our age. And it has the potential to break the nation apart.

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Matthew Continetti
Matthew Continetti is the director of domestic policy studies and the inaugural Patrick and Charlene Neal Chair in American Prosperity at the American Enterprise Institute. His most recent book is The Right: The Hundred Year War for American Conservatism (Basic Books, 2022).
Tags:
Immigration
Donald Trump
Crime
California
History
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