11/07/2025
During WWII, Mexican American youth—Chicanas and Chicanos especially those wearing zoot suits—were framed as internal threats to public order. Military personnel, police, and media collaborated to portray Chicano youth as criminals and unpatriotic, justifying violent crackdowns and mass arrests during the Zoot Suit Riots. Deportation sweeps like Operation We***ck (1954) were framed as national security responses.
Now (2025):
ICE and U.S. military are being deployed domestically in and under the pretense of border security and national stability, despite no national emergency declaration. Civilian police and federal immigration enforcement blur lines, making neighborhoods feel like occupied zones.
Photo Credit: Library of Congress
