Manufacturing Crisis, Policing Resistance: Solidarity Against Imperialism, Racism, and Catahoula Crunch

On December 6, I spoke at a rally organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation to denounce the ongoing campaign of terror being carried out by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE in the greater New Orleans area under the operation known as Catahoula Crunch. What is unfolding in the Greater New Orleans area is not an isolated policy failure or an excess of law enforcement—it is the domestic expression of U.S. imperialism itself—the relentless, brutal machine that manufactures crises in order to advance a far-right agenda.

An agenda that pretends privatization is a democratic right, when in reality it is a tool to concentrate wealth, exploit labor, and enslave entire nations. Trump and the billionaires who control him rely on the Republican and Democratic base—a base made up largely of working-class people whom they exploit. They sell the lie that privatization is the goal of democracy. They place their bets on prejudice and racism to divide and conquer us, ensuring that we fight each other while the ruling class profits. And part of that divide-and-conquer strategy is labeling dissent itself as a threat.

Criminalizing Dissent and Solidarity

Part of this strategy involves redefining resistance as criminality. Under National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), the federal government has attempted to label Antifa—a loose political tendency, not an organization—as “domestic terrorists.” This is not about safety; it is about suppressing dissent and intimidating organizers.

Here in Louisiana, 287(g) agreements deputize local law enforcement as federal immigration agents under Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Louisiana Act 399 goes even further, criminalizing so-called “interference” with immigration enforcement—language broad enough to include basic acts of solidarity with neighbors and coworkers. These laws exist not to protect communities, but to terrorize them.

Imperialism Abroad, Repression at Home

The crises they manufacture are not abstract—they are material. The poverty in Latin America that drives immigration is a direct product of U.S. imperialism and corporate greed. Just a few blocks from where the protest took place, on the 300 block of St. Charles Ave., the United Fruit Company orchestrated coups and overthrew governments that opposed their privatization schemes. In Guatemala (1954), President Jacobo Árbenz attempted to redistribute unused United Fruit Company land to peasants.

UFCO launched a massive lobbying campaign, painting Árbenz as a communist threat. Backed by the CIA, Árbenz was overthrown and replaced by a military regime serving corporate interests. In Honduras, presidents Manuel Bonilla, Miguel Rafael Dávila, and Francisco Bertrand were toppled or manipulated by UFCO, with U.S. Marines acting as corporate muscle. Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, and Cuba saw similar interventions—sometimes direct coups, sometimes political manipulation, always violence—all to secure profits for a handful of billionaires.

This imperialist reach was justified by the Monroe Doctrine, announced on December 2, 1823. What began as an anti-colonial declaration was twisted into a license for the U.S. to invade, manipulate, and dominate Latin America. Since then, more than fifty U.S.-backed coups and “interventions” have reshaped the region, creating the very conditions that drive displacement today. And today, the billionaires’ gaze falls on Venezuela. Operation Southern Spear seeks to topple Maduro—because they protect their resources.

The ruling class spreads lies that Venezuela is “importing drugs” when the reality is obvious—Venezuela has some of the largest oil reserves on the planet, and U.S. corporations want to control them. Here at home, the same logic of oppression continues. The National Guard is going to patrol and criminalize Black neighborhoods, treating working-class residents like enemies of the state. ICE and Border Patrol are carrying out the so-called Catahoula Crunch, terrorizing immigrant communities with raids and arrests. It is the domestic arm of the same imperialist violence inflicted abroad.

The Domestic Face of Empire

And make no mistake—the racism we see here is orchestrated. It is a tool to divide the working class. The ruling class wants white working people to turn on Black communities. They want Latinos to be scapegoated. They want anyone who stands in solidarity—Black, Brown, or White—to be labeled extremists or terrorists. It is the oldest tactic in their playbook: divide and conquer. But history shows us another path. As Fred Hampton taught us, “You can’t fight racism with racism—you fight racism with solidarity.”

The PSL stands in fierce opposition to racism because we understand that racism is a byproduct of capitalism—a tool used by the ruling class. We don’t hate white people; we hate the oppressive systems weaponized against all of us. They want us to hate each other so we never look up and see who is exploiting our labor and stealing our future. And this is exactly why we fight for socialism. Because socialism is not charity. It is not reform. It is the transformation of society so that the working class controls the economy, the land, the resources, and the means of production.

Why We Fight for Socialism

Under socialism we replace the chaos of capitalism with an economy planned for the people and the planet—a system that prioritizes human needs, ecological balance, and collective survival. No more endless war, no more oil-driven coups, no more border violence justified by poverty the U.S. itself created. And in this late stage of capitalism collapse history is summoning us to bring this alternative system into being! And to build that kind of society—one capable of confronting imperialism, racism, and capitalist violence—we need democratic centralism. Not chaos, not fragmentation, not one organization dominating others.

Democratic centralism means we debate, discuss, and struggle collectively—and once we reach a decision, we act with unity and discipline. It means our power is focused, not scattered. It means our movement is strong enough to win. We don’t need the “freedom” to be exploited.
 We need the power to rule our own lives. We have seen flashes of that power here in New Orleans. In 1892, Black and White workers joined together in a general strike, shutting down the city and forcing the bosses to meet their demands.

That’s the model—multiracial, disciplined, organized solidarity. Comrades, let us take this lesson forward. Let us build a movement rooted in democratic centralism, committed to socialism, and determined to create an economy planned for the people and the planet. Let us organize a united front and organize a general strike that leaves no one behind, that confronts the ruling class head-on, and that asserts the political and economic power of the working class. Because when we act together—when we stand as one—there is no force on this earth…
No National Guard.
 No ICE.
 No corporate coup.
 No billionaire front.
 No imperialist doctrine— That can stand against a united, organized, disciplined working class. Together we will create a system of equality and justice.

Another World Is Possible!

-Eric Gabourel