In Washington, D.C., federal troops again patrol the streets. The official reason?

A presidential declaration painting the capital as a hellscape of bloodthirsty criminals and unchecked violence.

The reality?

By the city’s own data, crime is down sharply. This gap between fact and force is where authoritarianism takes root.

Authoritarianism can be effective — at least in the short term. Send in the muscle, overwhelm your targets, and let fear do the rest.

People fall into line, guilty or not.

Hey, it works. Illegal border crossings dropped under Trump. Later, heavily armed federal agents moved through immigrant-heavy Los Angeles neighborhoods in a militarized, publicized, made-for-Hollywood operation.

Who wants to be caught in a militarized sweep?

Especially one that could land you in a Salvadoran prison, an “alligator Alcatraz,” or some other dangerous lockdown, with rights temporarily — or permanently — suspended.

Southern border states may welcome the decline in traffic.

But many have a growing fear the U.S. is sliding toward a police state, driven by the president’s readiness to use military force in civilian spaces.

Masked, often-unidentified Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents deepen the anxiety.

It used to be faceless guys in hoodies who were the criminals.

Now, unmarked vans brimming with........

© Santa Clarita Valley Signal