NEWS ANALYSIS. Thousands of soldiers have been deployed in Los Angeles to support the police tasked with arresting undocumented individuals. This unprecedented decision in a major American city has allowed the US president to test the limits of executive power.

US president touts intervention in cities like Los Angeles while preparing for a massive show of force in the capital.

In its first months in office, the Trump administration enacted what could be called soft authoritarianism. Now we are in a second phase