They came to MacArthur Park on horseback and in riot gear, their faces covered and their weapons out. They were part of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and the California National Guard. They came with more than a dozen military vehicles as helicopters swarmed overhead. They came heavily armed with rifles and other weapons. They came, clearly, ready to rumble, armed to excess. Why?

Local Angelenos, who might ordinarily be hanging out, selling food and toys or simply enjoying the day, were warned that immigration might be out. Many were too fearful to go out, but a summer day camp for children was operational. Many of the young people attending the camp had parents who were working — camp was summer child care. Camp counselors took the children inside to shield them from the chaos. Still, many of the children were frightened. A little girl, interviewed on CNN, wept as she spoke of her fear and the fact that she hoped her mother would come home from work.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass described the military action as “outrageous and un-American.”

Why did more than 90 heavily armed ICE officers, carrying rifles and riding Humvees, descend on urban MacArthur Park in an area that is heavily immigrant? This is nothing more than intimidation.

It is a manifestation of the reign of terror that the president has ushered in. With no respect for the law and order he so frequently touts, this impersonation of a human being has authorized a group of out-of-control zealots to inflict fear on an entire neighborhood.

It doesn’t matter whether residents are legal (which most are) or not. These Gestapo-like “law enforcement” officers can stop anyone they suspect of being illegal. If the person is not carrying the appropriate identification, they may be taken to a temporary holding facility. You might be fingerprinted, interviewed or detained. Your belongings — including your telephone — may be confiscated.

You will be forced to prove that you are legal, guilty until proven innocent. This is fearful for both legal and undocumented migrants, but it ought to be an occasion of fear for all of us. Lots of Black folks could be mistaken as Latino and held. Who really carries their passport with them? (I just put a picture of mine on my phone. One can never be too careful.)

We are living in a maniacal oligarchy where the whims of one man are dictating the ways that we live, especially in blue states like California. The stunt of raiding MacArthur Park, terrorizing children and flexing terrorist muscles circumvents the law. But then almost everything this administration has done — from firing federal workers and Biden appointees to playing with Federal Reserve and pressuring him to quit — circumvents the law. In the mind of this deranged commander in chief, there is no law except his law, and while he makes it up as he moves along, many of these moves are outlined in Project 2025.

What is most outrageous is the differential application of law, and the uneven compassion that is offered to victims of this nonsense. More than 100 people are dead, and another 160 at least are missing, including girls and their counselors who attended Camp Mystic at the Guadalupe River. The president has offered the appropriate condolences and pledged support from FEMA to rebuild the area. The media has talked about the missing little girls in ways that tug at the heartstrings. All the condolences and support are appropriate. But what about the little boys and girls who went to MacArthur Park for their summer camp? Is there support for them? And what about those affected by floods in Kentucky and Virginia, who have not curried favor with this president? Compassion should not be partisan. Traumatized children, regardless of race or immigrant status, must be treated compassionately.

In a reign of terror, though, some children are to be cherished and others to be terrorized. The armed raid of MacArthur Park, which yielded not a single arrest, was nothing more than intimidation. Kudos to Mayor Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom for resisting this nonsense. Caution to all of us: We are living in a reign of terror, and the mentally impaired are now in charge of our country.

The writer is an economist, author and educator.