Repeatedly, weekly and even daily, in every state across the United States, millions of working people and peoples from all walks of life have stood up to oppose the tyranny and impunity of the Trump administration and the many lawless attacks of the repressive forces commanded by the executive power. Actions defending federal and health care workers, the rights of immigrants and refugees, standing against genocide in Palestine and war against Iran, rejecting use of the military and expansion of detention camps, the police racist killings and brutality against youth, and more, have regularly been taking place and continue. There is great anger with the direction U.S. President Donald Trump is taking the country and the restructuring of the state in violation of what is deemed to be the spirit of the U.S. Constitution.

There is also widespread opposition to the anti-people and anti-social pro-war budget passed in a manner people across the United States from all walks of life find unacceptable.

Demands for an alternative are growing and many are calling for fundamental change, including a democracy of the peoples' own making, which empowers them to govern and take all the decisions which affect their lives. They are also fiercely opposing U.S. violations of international rule of law and use of force to settle conflicts and impose U.S. dictate.

The existing institutions such as Congress and the Supreme Court as well as the presidency itself, and the electoral system, have shown themselves to be dysfunctional, anti-people and exacerbating problems. Trump, like former presidents Biden and Obama before him, is acting to restructure the state in a manner even more favorable to the private oligarchs and their demand to secure more public funds for their own narrow interests.

For Trump, opposition to his orders, which is widespread, also lays the groundwork for justifying the need for military rule, or at least use of the military as necessary to safeguard the country and protect it from "rioters" and "gangs" and what are widely recognized as dysfunctional institutions like Congress and the Courts.

One can already see how readily Trump is using the military inside the country to impose his dictate. The use of National Guard in Washington, DC, and federal takeover of the DC police, with threats to do the same in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, are just the latest actions. 850 National Guard and 500 more federal agents from ICE, Border Patrol, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and FBI are policing DC, along with 6,600 DC police, Park police, Capitol police, U.S. Marshals, and Secret Service. At present it is the largest police presence per capita of anywhere in the country, with one officer per 100 people.

The DC metro area has the third largest Black population in the country of 1.8 million and it is the Black neighborhoods that are being targeted, as well as unhoused people. Immigrant workers are also being brutally attacked and detained, even while working. As one worker called out while pinned to the ground by a masked gang of policing forces, "I am a worker! I have done nothing. I am not a criminal!" This attack was done on the National Mall, witnessed by visitors from all over the world. Such attacks, which are increasing, are meant to show these gangs of masked federal police can act with impunity against anyone, anywhere. Trump has also now federalized National Guard troops from six states, West Virginia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Ohio, with support from their governors. Vermont's governor refused, as it is governors who command their state Guard and can refuse their deployment. This adds another 1,100 troops, making the total in DC more about 2,300. They will now be armed with M17 pistols and authorized to stop and detain people. The entire operation is an occupation of DC and a live exercise in having troops and federal agents work together against people guilty of no crime. As demonstrators are now chanting, From DC to Palestine, Occupation Is a Crime!

Many arbitrary check points have been set up with people forced to stop and charged for broken taillights or not wearing a seat belt or more serious fabricated charges -- to make such policing normal. At one checkpoint more than 100 people gathered to reject this attack, chanting "Go home fascists."

Washington, DC, August 11 and 16, 2025

While the Constitution does give the president police powers, like executive orders, as part of his oath to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States," Trump is striving to use them to make law and determine crime and punishment, especially for inside the country. He is striving to do so whether Congress and the Courts agree, hence his claims that he will not adhere to rulings by "activist judges." Already he has gone against court rulings, such as those concerning sending people to the infamous Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), the maximum security prison in El Salvador.

The use of the military in Los Angeles and now at detention camps in Florida, as well as the detention camp at the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and again establishing the camp at Fort Bliss, Texas, among others, are obvious examples of moves towards the establishment of military rule. However, these are not the only indications that the U.S. state is moving toward military rule even though the significance of other actions may not be as clear. Some of the most significant are examined below, including the war exercise in Los Angeles which, along with other examples blurs the lines between civilian and military authority, as well as birthright citizenship.

Occupation of Los Angeles

Organized resistance in Los Angeles has united the fighting forces, with more than 60 organizations in action together, February 18, 2025. The resistance has persisted and succeeded in getting the majority of the military out of LA.

In Los Angeles, Trump is not only conducting a war exercise inside the country targeting the people of greater Los Angeles, trying to make this acceptable. The people have firmly shown their rejection and defiance, standing up for the rights of all. Their resistance has now forced most of the troops out of the city.

Trump is also seeking to impose a unified command structure for the military, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE,) Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and other federal agencies, as is also occurring in DC and at the southern border. By having them engage in actions together, the various commanders become familiar with each other and the usual separation between civilian and military forces is eliminated on the ground. The contention and competition among them are also limited, as they engage in common raids and attacks. The forces themselves are trained to carry out what they know to be illegal and brutal actions. All of this is very necessary if efforts to impose military rule are to succeed in the future.

Trump is also testing the grounds for the response of state and local elected officials. By ordering the California National Guard to occupy Los Angeles, he directly tested the authority of California Governor Gavin Newsom. It is Newsom who has the authority to order the California Guard into action, to refuse to do so and to order them to stand down. He did not do this, serving to avoid an open military confrontation with the President. Trump thus got his answer that even in a large sanctuary state, the Governor would not act against him when he used the state Guard for his own purposes and against the people of the state. Whether other governors, like those of Illinois and New York, also large sanctuary states, will do the same, or Newsom will do so again, remains to be seen.

Trump regularly uses language like "invasion" and "rebellion" as part of preparing ground for use of the military inside the country. For Los Angeles he specifically referenced Title 10 of the U.S. Code § 12406 which gives the president authority to federalize National Guard troops in the event: "(1) the United States, or any of the Commonwealths or possessions, is invaded or is in danger of invasion by a foreign nation; (2) there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States; or (3) the President is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States."

None of these criteria were present in Los Angeles, a fact emphasized by local officials like the mayor. The law also says, "Orders for these purposes shall be issued through the governors of the States."

Governors must give consent and can refuse to do so, as some did when then President Bush was mobilizing the National Guard to fight in Iraq. Governors are the Commander-in-Chief of their state Guard and have authority over them. Newsom can order the California Guard to stand down, as many protesters are demanding. He instead went to court, and the case is still pending.

It is also the case that it is drilled into military officers that their role is for use in foreign wars, not against people in the U.S. Conducting these live war exercises inside the country, in DC, LA and at the southern border, is a means to break down this standard and unite the military forces. Trump has so far used the Army, Marines and Navy in these actions.

Protests in Monrovia, a city in Los Angeles County, denounce ICE raid on Home Depot that led to death of worker Roberto Carlos, killed in traffic when he fled the raid on August 14, 2025.

Blurring Lines Between Civilian and Military Authority

It is in the collective consciousness of the people of the U.S. that part of the struggle against tyranny is blocking the power of the military. Civilians are in charge, the President as Commander-in-Chief, heads of the Pentagon, Homeland Security, etc. are all civilians. Coming out of the Civil War, this consciousness also includes strong opposition to use of the military inside the country.

The Constitution gives Congress, not the military, the power to declare war. It also gives Congress the power to fund the military, but this is limited to only two years at a time. The Constitution, in the second amendment, enshrines the right of the people to have armed militias. These measures were meant to keep the military and tyranny in check. While Congress has long since given up their authority to declare war, civilian control of the military is still a requirement.

Trump, with the task of breaking the bounds of the Constitution, is seeking to undermine this collective consciousness among the people and the military. State National Guard, for example, are known to assist in emergencies, like hurricanes, floods, fires, etc. That is accepted by the people. Now, Trump is attempting to make the use of the Army inside the country on a long-term basis acceptable, the new normal. For example, for years now having both the Texas National Guard and currently more than 8,500 active-duty troops at the border with Mexico. Like Los Angeles and DC, the border deployments are also a means to have the military, ICE and CBP work together.

In the name of "assisting" policing agencies on the southern border, the military dispatched U-2 spy planes, surveillance drones and helicopters. Two Navy warships surveil the borders and coasts round the clock. A Stryker brigade combat team of about 4,000 soldiers and a general support aviation battalion (GSAB) of about 650 were sent to the border in March. The Stryker brigade is known for their rapid deployment and versatility, using Stryker armored combat vehicles. This is an eight-wheeled armored platform that is faster and has more firepower than tanks. The GSAB brings aviation muscle -- UH-60 Black Hawks for command duties and evacuations and CH-47 Chinooks for heavy lifts.

All of this is not only providing another means for unified command and common action by the military and civilian forces. It also puts in place a formidable combat force ready to invade Mexico -- something Trump has threatened claiming it is needed to stop the drug cartels. It is known that the cartels are armed and protected by the U.S., so invasion and control of Mexico is the aim. In addition, Trump has now sent 4,000 Marines and sailors into the Caribbean, threatening military intervention in international waters and against Venezuela and others. Warships, reconnaissance aircraft, a guided-missile cruiser and attack submarines are being deployed.

In addition, the Pentagon has seized public lands to create two strips of land along the 3,200-kilometer (2,000-mile) U.S. border with Mexico and turned them into "military zones" that are part of nearby U.S. military bases. Both are border-crossing areas commonly used by migrants, especially those seeking asylum.

One is near El Paso, Texas, where resistance to the attacks against immigrants and militarization of the border have long been organized under the banners, Not in Our Name! Not in Our Community! The "military zone" is about 100 kilometers long. The other is in New Mexico, and is larger, about 18-meters wide and 270-kilometers long (60 feet by 170 miles). It involves about 110,000 acres of public lands, used by hikers and hunters, where only the military can now enter. As Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put it, "This is Department of Defense property." Making it very clear, Hegseth added: "Any illegal [attempt] to enter that zone is entering a military base -- a federally protected area. You will be detained. You will be interdicted by U.S. troops and Border Patrol working together."

It is significant that the military is simply seizing public lands and thus taking over direct control of land along the border, which commonly is in civilian hands, including local and state authorities. Tribal lands of Indigenous Peoples are also along the border and, it is suspected, they could be targeted.

Other federal lands along the border which could be confiscated as "military zones" include parks and wildlife sanctuaries in California, Arizona, and Texas, like Big Bend National Park, Border Field State Park, Seminole Canyon State Park, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. States like Texas could also turn over state lands. Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" is built on land confiscated from the Big Cypress National Preserve, itself part of Indigenous lands.

In addition, the military is detaining migrants and making detention by the military acceptable. While they are supposedly handed over to Border Patrol, what happens on the ground is likely different.

More than 100 migrants were detained by the military and criminalized, charged with "violations of security regulations," which carries a harsher penalty of a $100,000 fine and a year in jail. The cases were dismissed as the judge determined there was no probable cause to think those charged had knowingly entered a military zone.

The U.S. has a judicial system that separates criminal and civilian matters. At present, immigration-related violations are dealt with in civilian immigration courts. Migration is a civilian, not criminal, issue, though in recent years the government has tried to turn it into a criminal matter. Now it is also involving the military in doing so. This effort which creates the basis for military intervention is yet another means to blur this distinction, criminalize migrants, and involve and justify use of the military in detention.

It is also the case that a massive increase in privately-run government detention camps is taking place. The brutality and inhumane conditions against people guilty of no crime is notorious.

Use of military facilities is also taking place. Fort Bliss, in the desert near El Paso, Texas, is again being used, with tents and cages for 5,000 people being constructed at a cost of about $1.26 billion.

People of El Paso, with nurses playing a key role forced the Fort Bliss detention camp used to detain unaccompanied children from 2016-2017 and from 2021-2023, to close. That camp was known for its severe abuse of children. Like the occupation of LA, Trump is targeting an area known for its resistance, trying to humiliate and pacify people. No doubt the people of El Paso and sister city Juárez will again speak out in their own name and for their community, demanding closure of the camp and an end to detention and deportations.

National Nurses Organizing Committee-Texas, representing 1,700 nurses from four El Paso hospitals, takes part in a march to the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office to protest the forced separation of families and detention of immigrant children, June 19, 2018.

Fort Dix in New Jersey is to have 3,000 people, and Camp Atterbury, a National Guard base in Indiana, will also be used. Homestead Air Reserve Base near Miami, Florida and a 2,000-person detention facility at the Camp Blanding National Guard training center in Northeast Florida are also being considered. As well, military planes are being utilized for deportations.

Further, Trump in June said he would be sending 700 Marines to "support" ICE operations in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. The first 200 deployed to Florida July 3. Two hundred each are also deploying to Louisiana and Texas. In addition, Trump has gotten governors in some states to activate their National Guard to "assist" ICE raids in their states even though no emergency exists. So far, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Tennessee, Virginia, and South Dakota have deployed troops. Three others – Nevada, Louisiana, and South Carolina – are in the process of approving deployments. All of these provide live exercises for joint actions by military and civilian forces and increased federal command.

"Alligator Alcatraz" and Use of Military's JAG as Immigration Judges

In Florida, Governor DeSantis, using emergency powers and fast-track measures commandeered land in the Everglades, part of the Big Cypress National Preserve, to create what state officials now call "Alligator Alcatraz." Florida officials have no shame in being associated with the now closed Alcatraz prison in California, notorious for its brutality and horrendous conditions.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is a tent city, run on generators and housing people in cramped cages during hurricane season. The tents regularly flood, and massive swarms of mosquitoes are common. As an immigrant lawyer for a person detained put it, "I've never seen treatment so deliberately cruel." Conditions are so inhumane at the camp that there has already been a hunger strike demanding edible food, water, medical care and access to family and lawyers.

"Alligator Alcatraz" is widely opposed by the Indigenous Peoples and residents who lined the highway to demand it not be built. The Miccosukee and Seminole, who have been land and water protectors on these lands for centuries, are demanding its closure and rejecting this attack on their sovereignty.

Legal action has also blocked additional construction, preventing plans to build beyond the existing 3,000 beds. A court ruling August 22 has also now required state officials and ICE to stop sending people to the the detention camp. They are required to remove generators, gas, industrial lighting fixtures, fencing, sewage, and other waste and waste receptacles within 60 days, which would effectively shut the camp down.

The judge echoed the stand taken by the Miccosukee and environmental groups who brought the lawsuit, ruling that the camp causes "irreparable harm" to the environment and that Florida officials "consulted with no stakeholders or experts and did no evaluation of the environmental risks." Resistance continues to immediately shut this camp down.

Florida Governor DeSantis said the ruling "is not going to deter us," and that the camp will remain operational. He also announced yet another detention facility to be in a state prison, Baker Correctional Institution, all in service to the federal government.

Trump, while visiting "Alligator Alcatraz" with DeSantis in July, said he would approve Florida's plan to "expedite" deportations by having Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers in the National Guard work as immigration judges. They would get six weeks of training for what is extremely complicated, immigration and asylum law.

Use of JAG for "expedited" deportation is not only another means to deprive people being illegally deported of due process, as is widely occurring. It also opens the door to use JAG everywhere. The significance also lies in putting in place use of the military and its ability to be judges on civilian matters. While now it is to be for immigration matters, once in place, it could extend far more broadly.

Another example of blurring the lines between civilian, criminal and military matters is having ICE secure Social Security files, which are civilian and nothing to do with criminal law enforcement. It is well known that such files would be shared by all the federal policing agencies and no doubt the military as well. Trump is also now asking for the files on people from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), Medicare, and voter rolls. Voter rolls show how people registered, whether as Republican, Democrat, or independent or other parties.

Securing these files and handing them over to federal policing agencies eliminate the standard of separating civilian and criminal matters. It is a means to criminalize all those arbitrarily designated by the executive as "security threats," while also opening the door for the military to further engage in civilian matters.

Birthright Citizenship

President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship is one of the more blatant efforts to eliminate Constitutional restrictions. His broad use of executive orders and arbitrary actions against federal workers and agencies are also means of doing so, as are actions to seize public funds already appropriated by Congress for executive purposes.

Birthright citizenship is contained in the 14th Amendment and part of the victory over the system of slave labour in the Civil War, with the people enslaved decisive in this victory. It states in part: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." It also provides for due process and equal protection of the law for all persons.

Trump is attempting to use the phrasing "subject to the jurisdiction thereof" to claim that people born in the U.S. are not automatically citizens. With this order he targets babies born to a mother "unlawfully present in the United States" or when the mother's presence was "lawful but temporary," and the father was not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The many women lawfully present temporarily would include all those on a work or student visa.

An important part of the order is to put in place that the executive decides who is and is not a citizen and who is and is not "under its jurisdiction" and therefore a person who has the rights to due process and equal protection. Impunity of the executive is such that all those undocumented could be characterized as such. Students opposing Palestine whose visas are arbitrarily canceled could be considered no longer under U.S. jurisdiction and robbed of their rights to have their day in court. Already, Trump claimed people he illegally sent to El Salvador, including a citizen sent by "mistake," were no longer under U.S. jurisdiction.

When it comes to citizenship, given the thoroughly racist character of the U.S. state and its backward direction, there is concern that all those of African descent – who previously were not citizens, not even considered human beings with rights, but property – will be targeted next. The same can be said for Indigenous Peoples and those from Puerto Rico. Citizenship, or lack of it, is an instrument of the state used to divide working people and justify government efforts to deny rights, as is occurring daily.

The executive order was immediately challenged, including by 18 states, San Francisco, D.C., and advocacy groups. Four federal district court judges all said it was unconstitutional and three issued nationwide, or universal injunctions blocking Trump from enforcing it.

The Supreme Court heard the case on an emergency basis and on June 27 ruled that the lower courts could not issue universal injunctions. This is considered a win for the presidency as it makes it more difficult to stop this order, and executive orders in general. The Court did not rule on the constitutionality of the order. Many of its rulings, like this one, show how it acts as an arm of the executive, meeting its needs, and a reason today that it is discredited.

Given the restrictions dictated by the Supreme Court, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a class action lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire to grant a class-wide injunction blocking enforcement for all those who would not qualify for birthright citizenship under the executive order. A similar motion was filed in Maryland. On July 10, 2025, federal Judge Joseph Laplante granted the ACLU's request, certified a class of born and unborn babies who would be deprived of their citizenship and issued a preliminary injunction blocking the order from being enforced upon that class. A class-wide injunction was also issued for the Maryland case.

Trump's order was to take effect on July 27. So far, the administration has not challenged the class-wide injunctions, while other cases concerning birthright citizenship are still pending. It is possible Trump will try to get states, which issue birth certificates, commonly used for proof of citizenship, to refuse to do so if the criteria in his order are not met. States like Florida and Texas may be willing.

Across the country people are uniting to say No Human Being is Illegal, and rejecting these efforts to divide the people using manipulation by the federal government using citizenship, visas, or lack of documentation. Everyone has a right to participate equally as members of the polity and that is the kind of democracy people are striving for -- one that unites and involves all in making decisions that affect their lives.

Conditions Cry Out for Change which Favors the People

Significance must be given to all these moves toward military rule which, given U.S. history, could be established with a civilian president. This is a period of transition, where conditions are crying out for change that favors the people but authorities, like the president, stand in the way.

Favoring the peoples is the reality that the ensemble of human relations – all the relations humans enter into with each other and with nature, individual, collective, social — shows that political empowerment of the people can resolve problems and provide a new pro-social, anti-war direction for the country.

The battle of democracy to move the character and quality of democracy forward to meet modern times, to a democracy of the peoples' own making, is crucial. It is an integral part of the broad and defiant organized resistance taking place across the United States. It is this resistance which is decisive to block the dangers ahead and bring forward new constitutions and new institutions that provide accountability and guarantee the rights of all.

(Photos: @noactiontoosmall, NAACP, @sal9009.bsky.social, National Nurses United, PSL.)

Canadian Firm GardaWorld a Contractor at "Alligator Alcatraz"

— Fernand Deschamps —

U.S. President Donald Trump tours the cages built to imprison people at "Alligator Alcatraz" detention centre in Florida, July 1, 2025.

GardaWorld Security Corporation, a Canadian company headquartered in Montreal, describes itself as "a global champion in security services, integrated risk management and cash solutions." It boasts of being "the largest privately owned security company in the world," with its 132,000 "security professionals across the globe," providing "asset and personnel protection, crowd control, and surveillance technology for a wide range of environments and industries."

One of its U.S. subsidiaries, GardaWorld Federal Services, has recently been approved to facilitate detention services for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida's Everglades at "Alligator Alcatraz," with a $138-million cap imposed on the services the company can compete on, which include security guards and patrol services. It has already been awarded one contract worth close to $11 million.

Quebec Premier François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government is trying hard to distance itself from GardaWorld, even though it invested $300 million in the company in 2022.

"To support its global strategic vision, GardaWorld has concluded an agreement with the Government of Québec through Investissement Québec, for a $300 million investment, at market conditions, by way of a private placement in GardaWorld preferred shares," reads an August 24, 2022 announcement on the company's website.[1] "The preferred shares are redeemable by the Company and entitle the holder to a dividend capitalized annually and payable at the time of their redemption by GardaWorld."

"At the time, it was to allow [the company] to make a number of acquisitions outside of Quebec and move forward with investments at its headquarters and its centre of excellence," Christine Fréchette, Quebec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy told reporters on July 4. "So the investment was made before GardaWorld was involved in this project." And so a question then comes, Minister Fréchette: Has Investissement Québec now rid itself of those shares?

Since Mark Carney became Prime Minister on March 14, his government has awarded GardaWorld over $112 million in contracts. This includes $76 million for "protective services" for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)[2] of which $26 million is for the renewal of a one-year contract ensuring security at the Laval Immigration Holding Centre (IHC).[3]

When the independent publication The Tyee, apprised of the fact that GardaWorld was involved in providing security at "Alligator Alcatraz," contacted Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's office, which is responsible for the CBSA, to ask whether it intends to continue working with GardaWorld, the answer was that it "will not be commenting on this matter."[4]

Notes

1. "GardaWorld Announces the Acquisition of Global Leader ARCA," August 24, 2022

2. Government of Canada, Government Contracts over $10,000

3. "De Laval à la Floride GardaWorld encaisse des millions publics pour enfermer des migrantes," Observatoire pour la justice migrante, 16 juillet 2025

4. "The Canadian Company Staffing 'Alligator Alcatraz,'" The Tyee, August 8, 2025

(With files from GardaWorld, Journal de Montréal, Government of Canada, Observatoire pour la justice migrante, The Tyee)

For Your Information

"GardaWorld -- Summary of Findings" Report

– American Friends Service Committee –

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)[1] submitted a report on June 20, 2023 to the Denver, Colorado Mayor's Office and City Council Members. AFSC's Colorado office led and won a campaign to prevent the city from contracting with GardaWorld to provide sheltering services for Denver's newcomers. Below, are excerpts from the report.

Company Summary

GardaWorld [...] operates across 45 countries. In addition to providing security guards to government, [...] it sells security and surveillance equipment and offers armored car, police support, facility management, and other security-related services.

Involvement in Conflict Zones

GardaWorld and its subsidiary Aegis Defense Services (doing business as GardaWorld Federal Services) contract with the U.S. Department of State and other government agencies to provide armed security guards to "high-threat areas" around the world. Since the early 2000s, GardaWorld's so-called "bands of armed men" have been deployed at military bases, embassies and consulates, oilfields, and other facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[...]

GardaWorld has also been implicated in cases of human trafficking, corruption, illegal weapons use, and excessive force.

[...]

GardaWorld has operated and currently operates in several other conflict zones, including Chad, Libya, Somalia, Ukraine, and Yemen. The company's operations in these regions have similarly been rife with misconduct.

[...]

Involvement in "Migrant Sheltering"/Immigrant Jails

Since 2015, the company has provided detention and transporation services to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which is responsible for arresting, jailing, and deporting migrants in Canada. Under "Detention Programs" contracts with the CBSA, GardaWorld has overseen the detention and transportation of immigrants held at the British Columbia Immigration Holding Centre (BCIHC) in Vancouver and the Laval Immigration Holding Centre (IHC) in Quebec, in immigration "day cells" located in Vancouver's Library Square; and at several other locations.

Unsafe conditions at these immigrant detention centers have long been reported by human rights organizations and Canadian news media. In January 2022, for example, an immigrant held at the IHC died after being found in "medical distress." In the year following the onset of COVID-19, detained immigrants went on hunger strike at least three times to protest inhumane and "life-threatening" conditions -- a lack of COVID-19 safety protocols and mental health resources, the use of solitary confinement, and limited access to bathroom and telephone use -- at the same detention centre. In addition to failing to comply with COVID-19 safety protocols, GardaWorld security guards reportedly retaliated against hunger strikers by conducting frequent, disruptive searches and refusing individuals access to water.

GardaWorld also operates several controversial "migrant shelters" in the U.S., including the Fort Bliss military base-turned-shelter in El Paso, Texas.

[...]

In September 2022, the Health and Human Services Office (HHS) Inspector General released a 58-page report detailing inhumane conditions, deficient case management and "the deteriorating mental health of unaccompanied minors housed at the Fort Bliss Tent camp."

[...]

Despite its "gross mismanagement" of Fort Bliss, GardaWorld was awarded a $2.7 million contract in July 2023 by El Paso County commissioners for transporting migrants released from immigration custody.

[...]

Additionally, the company operates "emergency shelters" and migrant relocation programs in Chicago, Florida, and San Antonio.

GardaWorld has also expanded -- or attempted to expand -- its reach within the immigrant detention industry through acquisitions of and partnerships with other security and surveillance companies. In December 2022, GardaWorld risk management subsidiary Crisis24 announced a new partnership with Palantir, a high-tech surveillance company that, among other things, designs systems used to surveil immigrants and carry out immigration raids, deportations, and family separations. In February 2021, GardaWorld made an offer to acquire G4S, the world's largest security company, which conducts deportations and "detainee transportation" for the U.S. government and operates private prisons in Australia and the United Kingdom. GardaWorld did not win the bid to acquire G4S.

To read the complete report, click here.

Note

1. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) was founded in 1917 by members of the Religious Society of Friends in the United States to provide young Quakers and other conscientious objectors to war with an opportunity "to perform a service of love in wartime. In the ensuing years, the Committee has continued to serve as a channel for Quaker concerns."

The Nobel Peace Prize 1947 was awarded jointly to Friends Service Council and American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) "for their pioneering work in the international peace movement and compassionate effort to relieve human suffering, thereby promoting the fraternity between nations."

Mexico and Caribbean

U.S. Prepares for Military Action in Caribbean and Along Southern Border

President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to take direct actions against Latin American cartels, including conducting operations on foreign soil and in international waters. The New York Times reported on August 8, "President Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations."

"The order provides an official basis for the possibility of direct military operations at sea and on foreign soil against cartels," the New York Times added. Military forces are now being deployed to the Caribbean, including off the coast of Venezuela.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said placing cartels on the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list allows for the use of "other elements of American power, intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, whatever, to target these groups if we have an opportunity to do it."

Rubio, on State Department social media, emphasized that the U.S. would confront "any threat" in the region saying, "The President has been very firm on this. Anything that is a threat to the United States of America, he is going to confront." Using the cartels as justification to intervene even in international waters, Rubio said, "There are designated narco-terrorist groups operating in the region. Some of them utilize international transits and international waters to transit poison into the U.S. Those groups will be confronted."

The big problem here is the fact that with broad impunity, Trump decides what is and is not a "threat," and conducts crimes on that basis.

Marines and Ships Deploy to Caribbean

Trump has now ordered 4,000 Marines and sailors and a nuclear-powered attack submarine to the Caribbean Sea and waters around Latin America, also in the name of targeting the drug cartels. The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), with three amphibious ships and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are being deployed and come under the military's Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). Additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser are also being allocated to SOUTHCOM as part of the mission, military officials said. This impacts Mexico as well as other countries in the region. Given the U.S. concept as world policeman, SOUTHCOM says its "area of responsibility includes 31 countries and 15 areas of special sovereignty in Central and South America and the Caribbean."

The Marines in the MEU are not trained to conduct drug interdictions and counter drug-trafficking, so they could be used for more aggressive purposes.

Rubio directly threatened Venezuela, using the Tren de Aragua gang, another Trump designated "terrorist organization." This is the same group the executive has used to detain and deport people with no connection to Tren de Aragua, and no crime committed, including hundreds of people from Venezuela. Warships are being positioned off Venezuela's coast. Like the gangster he is, Trump has also now doubled the bounty to $50 million for any information to arrest Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.

Maduro responded to the U.S. escalation in the region August 18 saying, "We defend our seas, our skies, and our lands. We liberated them. We guard and patrol them. No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America." The country has 4.5 million militia prepared, activated, and armed, Maduro added.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum firmly dismissed the possibility of a U.S. military invasion targeting cartels in Mexico. She said, "The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military." She added, "We co-operate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion. That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez on August 18 responded to the U.S. escalation in the Caribbean saying, "We denounce the presence of U.S. naval and air forces in the southern Caribbean which, under false pretexts, respond to the corrupt agenda of the Secretary of State. Latin America and the Caribbean must be respected as a Peace Zone."

President of Colombia Gustavo Petro, responding to U.S. threats against Venezuela cautioned that "invading Venezuela would be the worst mistake," and opposed dragging Colombia into the situation. He said, "the gringos are mad if they think invading Venezuela will solve their problem."

Celso Amorim, a foreign policy adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned of "the risk of an escalation" and emphasized that "the principle of nonintervention is fundamental."

Canadians and Quebeckers and people in the U.S. join those in Latin America and the Caribbean and call for making all the Americas a Zone for Peace. Together they denounce U.S. interference and aggression in the region and demand Hands Off! Bring All U.S. Military Forces Home!

Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, and peoples of the entire region, including many in the islands of the Caribbean, are standing against U.S. aggression and interference and defending their right to self-determination.

(The Hill, La Jornada, CNN)

ALBA-TCP Extraordinary Summit Counters U.S. Military Interference in Caribbean

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hosts the ALBA-TCP virtual summit, August 20, 2025.

On Wednesday August 20, the XIII Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of ALBA-TCP (the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America—People's Trade Agreement) began in virtual format, moderated from Venezuela. The summit was convoked to express solidarity and support for Venezuela in the face of threats from U.S. imperialism and its positioning of war ships, bombers, and an attack submarine in the Caribbean Sea.

The ALBA-TCP declaration condemned the Trump administration actions "to delegitimize sovereign governments and pave the way for foreign intervention."

"These practices not only constitute a direct attack on Venezuela's independence, but also a threat to the stability and self-determination of all the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean," the alliance said. Countries of the region have declared Latin America and the Caribbean a Zone of Peace.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, representing Cuba, spoke at the meeting. "We are proud that ALBA-TCP is at the forefront in denouncing the continued imperialist assaults and projecting itself as a strong voice in the face of U.S. designs. This Alliance is our first shield against the dangers that threaten peace and security in the region. [...] We are living in times of enormous challenges and exceptional risks."

He opposed U.S. imperialism, saying that "the deployment of its hegemonist and aggressive offensive shows that it has no intention of stopping before the limits imposed by International Law, the United Nations Charter, and decades of regional and universal resolutions and declarations against coercion, threats, interference in the internal affairs of other States, and intervention."

The Cuban President reflected that "the announced prerogative that the government of the United States intends to grant to its law enforcement agencies to act against criminal organizations within the borders of other States constitutes an unacceptable threat of aggression, a violation of the sovereignty of nations in the region and an additional alteration of the regime of peace and cooperation that Latin American and Caribbean countries have worked so hard to guarantee. [...]

"Cuba firmly denounces this new demonstration of imperial force and calls on ALBA-TCP and from here to all the peoples of the world, to condemn this irrational onslaught by the Trump Administration. [...]

"We denounce with equal firmness the encouragement and financing of terrorist plans against Venezuela, as well as the mendacious accusation launched by the U.S. government against President Nicolás Maduro, which seeks to associate him, without any basis or evidence, to criminal organizations linked to illicit drug trafficking. This is, once again, the kind of maneuvers to which imperialism resorts when it harbors aggressive intentions against sovereign states, when it is unable to stifle the spirit of resistance of the peoples and needs a fraudulent pretext to justify its actions. [...]

"We resolutely support the Special Communiqué adopted by the Group of Friends in Defense of the United Nations Charter, through which the member countries expressed their concern over the declared intentions of the United States government to initiate military actions in Latin America and the Caribbean," said Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. He highlighted: "In line with the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, we consider it necessary to mobilize the opposition of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) against this new colonizing attempt, for which reason we support the holding of an extraordinary meeting of CELAC Foreign Ministers."

Díaz Canel also spoke out in defence of Palestine and the Palestinian people. The Cuban President commented that, from this accumulated knowledge and feelings bequeathed to us by our ancestors, we cannot fail to demand, in every tribune, in every space, in every expression of rejection to imperialism, that the genocide in Gaza cease. "The threats," he said, "that today hover over Venezuela are based on the same philosophy of dispossession that has turned a small strip of land into the hell of this world. Enough of Zionist impunity! Enough of imperial complicity!" he emphasized.

"All crimes have perpetrators and accomplices in order to be sustained in time. Israeli Zionism and Yankee imperialism exchange roles in their criminal exercises. Cuba knows it well, because in its genocidal blockade, the empire has always counted on the invariable support of the Israeli genocide."

China reacted to the deployment of the U.S. military, including off the Venezuelan coast. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China opposes "the use of force or threats in international relations and foreign powers interfering in the internal affairs of Venezuela under any pretext." Mao Ning urged the U.S. administration to "do more to contribute to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean."

For the full link to the speech by Cuban President Díaz-Canel, click here.

(With files from Global Times, Granma. Photos: Venezuelan Presidency, Cuban Presidency.)

On the Danger of U.S. Military Intervention in Mexico

– Pablo Moctezuma Barragán –

The threats are escalating. On July 16, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. must intervene in Mexico because drug cartels have "tremendous control" over Mexico, politicians, the people, and elected officials. The statement was made at the signing ceremony for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act (HALT). At the White House, Trump said he is "trying to play nice," but the reality is that "the cartels have very strong control over Mexico" and stressed that "we can't let that happen." Earlier, on July 4, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico stated: "We are fully committed to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking networks." Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi included Mexico on the list of U.S. enemies alongside Iran, China, and Russia. For his part, Eric Trump told Fox News: "If Mexico -- let's just say that's the scenario -- fired rockets at the United States, I think they'd be decapitated in about four seconds flat."

Since last February, U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth has stated that "all options are on the table" and has not ruled out military action against cartels in Mexico. Thus, the drums of war are beating.

On July 4, President Trump imposed a 17.09 per cent tariff on Mexican tomato imports. He threatened to impose a 30 per cent tariff on imports from Mexico to the United States starting August 1. However, on July 31, a bilateral agreement was reached to suspend the tariffs for 90 days. Trump argues that these measures were necessary to force cooperation to fight the U.S. crisis caused by fentanyl consumption and the country's bilateral trade deficit. If for any reason he decides to increase his tariffs, then whatever figure he chooses to increase them by will be added to the 30 per cent general tariffs. Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in May that deaths from fentanyl decreased by 27 per cent in 2024. According to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, seizures of this narcotic in states such as Baja California, Sonora, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas, under "Operation Northern Border," have led to significant progress in the fight against drugs. This refutes Trump's arguments.

Trump's threats have been repeated over the years. In February 2017, he offered Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto military forces to fight "bad men" in Mexico if the Mexican army did not do so.

This January, on his first day in office of his second term, Trump approved an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels as "terrorist" organizations. Later, when questioned by journalists in the Oval Office, he stated that he did not rule out military intervention in Mexican territory to combat organized crime: "If Mexico needs or requests help... the United States is ready, willing, and able to get involved... sometimes you need an army to defeat an army." Weeks later, he mentioned being willing to "go in and clean up" drug cartels in Mexico and was working on designating them as "terrorist" organizations. On July 24 last year, he stated that "the cartels run Mexico," that the Mexican government is "petrified" by them and that "they'll take out a president in two minutes." On February 18, 2025, he declared: "Mexico is largely ruled by the cartels... if they wanted help, we would give it to them," having repeatedly pointed out that the U.S. considers these groups "terrorist" organizations.

Help? Recently, without consulting Mexico, the U.S. made a deal with Ovidio Guzmán, son of drug lord El Chapo Guzmán, which was criticized by President Sheinbaum. In addition, Mexican drug trafficker Ismael Mayo Zambada "appeared" in Texas, was arrested in El Paso in July 2024, and Mexico was not given any information, according to former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. On August 18, 2025, the U.S. said he has now agreed to switch his plea to guilty, though specific charges were not listed. Again, with Mexico having no say.

This year, on April 16, in a phone call, Trump insisted on his offer to President Sheinbaum to deploy troops to "help" if requested. Sheinbaum declared, "Sovereignty is not for sale," and maintained, "collaboration yes, military intervention no." Since 2025, Trump has intensified measures such as designating cartels as "terrorist" organizations, drone surveillance, and troop deployment at the border, and hinted at possible more aggressive actions if Mexico did not cooperate in the fight against fentanyl and migration.

President Sheinbaum has categorically refused to allow intervention, emphasizing: "coordination yes, collaboration yes, subordination no."

The U.S. uses the issue of drug trafficking as the best excuse to intervene in other countries. It is well known that the root of the problem lies in the United States, where they buy the drugs, distribute them throughout a territory five times larger than Mexico, sell weapons to the various cartels, launder the money, and promote drug use and control the business. All of this is directed from the highest political and economic spheres.

A military intervention by the United States cannot be ruled out; that would be to ignore history. In 1835, the U.S. supported the fight against Mexico, with Texas seizing our land and declaring itself an independent Republic of Texas in 1836. The U.S. then annexes Texas in 1845. In 1846, the U.S. invaded us to take more than half of Mexican territory, covering 4.5 million square kilometres, leaving us with 1.9 million square kilometres. In 1914, they invaded Veracruz for seven months. And in 1916, to pursue Pancho Villa, they invaded our territory under the command of General John Pershing, who would later command the U.S. army during World War I, in addition to countless border incursions and various occupations.

The history of the United States is one of constant intervention, around 400 throughout its history, with 55 countries invaded, countless coups d'état, dozens of regime change operations, and since World War II alone, it has undertaken more than 30 invasions and installed 800 military bases around the world.

The terrorist methods of the U.S. are there for all to see. They launch surprise attacks, without declaring war, and without the permission of Congress, systematically violating international law, as was flagrantly demonstrated by the attacks on Iran by Israel (supported by the U.S.) on June 13 and then on June 20, when the U.S. also violated the airspace of other countries, such as Iraq, to attack Iran. It is noteworthy that the majority of the U.S. people disapproved of the attack.

Washington systematically violates the sovereignty of other countries, international law and the UN Charter. In fact, it disregards international laws in order to replace them with a "rules based order," which are nothing more than the rules dictated by U.S. imperialism at its whim, which go against anyone who defends their sovereignty and the interests of their people.

Armed intervention by the United States in Mexico is not imminent, but it cannot be ruled out. The cost to Mexico's northern neighbor would be enormous. Forty million people of Mexican origin live there and have the support of tens of millions. In recent weeks, demonstrations have taken place throughout the country: On June 14, many millions, protesting in every state in the more than 2,000 "No Kings" demonstrations, took to the streets of the U.S. to reject Trump's policies. On Wednesday, July 17, more than 1,600 demonstrations were held throughout the U.S. in rejection of the current government's immigration policies, under the slogan: "Good Trouble Lives On." On August 16, hundreds of actions in 44 states opposed Trump's impunity and attacks on voting rights.

What the United States seeks is to subdue Mexico, not necessarily with an armed incursion of its troops, but with political, economic, and military interventionism. It seeks a puppet government that will "voluntarily" open its doors so that its army can control our territory. Let us not forget that a process of military integration is underway that began with the Fox administration, with the signing of the Alliance for Security and Prosperity in North America (SPP) and the de facto integration into the Northern Command. Then, the Calderón administration had the Mérida Initiative with the U.S. in 2008. In addition to the integration, for the first time in the history of our country, Mexican forces participated in the UNITAS Gold military manoeuvres in 2009 in Mayport, Florida, which earned the applause of the commander of the Southern Command naval forces, Admiral Joseph Kernan. He praised Mexico's presence as one of the most important strategic elements of the naval exercises. Felipe Calderón allowed armed U.S. agents from their intelligence agencies into Mexico to operate, as well as drone flights, special forces, and the military base in San Salvador, Chachapa, Puebla, disguised as a Police Training Academy, etc.

During Peña Nieto's six-year term, cooperation with the Northern Command was strengthened, and joint training of Mexican and U.S. armed forces, intelligence sharing, and joint surveillance were carried out. In May 2012, Mexico participated alongside the U.S. in exercises such as Ardent Sentry, no longer abroad but on Mexican territory, to "coordinate in the event of natural disasters." In 2014, the Jaguar Strike exercises began and participation in the UNITAS Pacific naval exercises continued. In 2015, Peña Nieto integrated Mexico into the UN Blue Helmets. These UN forces have a long history of acting against the people. They were complicit with the United States in 1953 in attacking north Korea; in 1994, this force abandoned the Tutsis to Hutu extermination; they joined the U.S. and NATO in attacking Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999; Afghanistan in 2003; and invaded Haiti in 2004 and 2007, where they were accused of abuse, sexual exploitation and causing a cholera epidemic.

In the summer of 2018, Mexico participated in RIMPAC 2018 "Rim of the Pacific," the world's largest multinational naval exercise in Hawaii and amphibious exercise in California.

During the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, military manoeuvres and exercises were carried out not only with the Northern Command, but also with the Southern Command. Mexico hosted the Tradewinds military manoeuvres in Quintana Roo for the first time since the exercise began in 1984.

When Joe Biden took office, his Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, immediately promoted the military integration of Mexico. He proposed that Mexico join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to "defend the region." He described the Mérida Initiative as involving real military interoperability: drones, joint special forces operating in Mexican cities, and training dependent on the U.S. military.

The military integration of North America, promoted by the PRI-PAN coalition of political parties, led us to participate in military manoeuvres with the United States. Today, that momentum continues. Mexico hosted the Tradewinds military manoeuvres in Quintana Roo from May 7 to 21, 2022, led by the Southern Command. The Mexican Navy from February 28 to March 3, 2022, in Chiapas, participated in exercises of the North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI), at NAMSI Pacific, led by the Northern Command. NAMSI is the tri-lateral military forum involving Canada, Mexico, and the United States. It serves to "strengthen operational effectiveness," meaning U.S. command of these forces.

There were more military exercises such as Amalgam Eagle 2019 in Chihuahua and Jaguar Strike in the state of Temamatla, using weapons and equipment authorized by the Senate. From April 8 to May 16, 2024, the Joint Combined Exercise Training (JCET) was held in Chihuahua. Senators authorized the passage of a delegation of 220 personnel in the Fuerzas Amigas 2024 exercise, which took place in Ciudad Juárez, followed by the "Joint Combined Exercise Training" in Puerto Chiapas, Chiapas, from May 23 to June 25, 2024.

The Fuerzas Amigas exercise was then allowed to take place in Chihuahua between June 23 and 29, 2024. This was followed by the Joint Specialized Exercise 2024, held at the National Training Center in Santa Gertrudis, Chihuahua, from July 15 to August 3, 2024.

The Phoenix 2025 exercises were conducted between the United States Marine Corps Command and the Mexican Navy on Santa Margarita Island, Baja California Sur, Mexico, from March 23 to April 25.

Between May 27 and 28, 2025, at the Santa Gertrudis National Training Center in Chihuahua, senior military officials from both countries oversaw a joint exercise to reinforce the Logistics Support Agreement (ACSA) and binational interoperability.

In April 2025, there was a reported 200 per cent increase in Northern Command personnel deployed to the southern U.S. border, including some 8,500 troops and at least 40 military intelligence specialists supporting the Joint Intelligence Task Force–South Border. Although this does not imply a presence on Mexican soil, it is part of "shared regional coordination."

In June 2025, the Mexican secretaries of defense and the navy made an official visit to the NORAD and USNORTHCOM headquarters in Colorado "to strengthen" the bilateral security agenda in the face of shared regional threats.

U.S. intervention in Mexico has intensified since the administration of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, which began with economic integration, followed by political integration, and then military integration under Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón. During the 2024 presidential campaign, opposition leaders openly called for U.S. intervention. The U.S. has worked constantly to gain total control of Mexico.

This is not a problem that has to do only with Trump; it is the agenda of the U.S. empire toward Mexico. The current Mexican government has put the brakes on, but there is a danger, as happened in Argentina after the Kirchnerist governments, in Brazil with the victory of Bolsonaro, in Ecuador after the government of Rafael Correa, and in Peru after the coup against Pedro Castillo, that a staunch supporter of the U.S. will come to power and, without the need for military intervention, lead us to a neocolonial situation similar to that suffered by Puerto Rico. Let us never forget the kind of neighbor we have. We cannot allow ourselves to be subordinated to being part of the "North American region." We are a sovereign nation!

The transformation must be deepened and no backsliding allowed, which would be very dangerous. The way out for Mexico is to regain full sovereignty and independence. Economic sovereignty, achieving food self-sufficiency, industrial sovereignty, military sovereignty. Popular sovereignty with the mobilization and active participation of Mexicans in designing the country we want.

(To access articles individually click on the black headline.)

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