It's The Spectacle. The government creates artificial shortages (SNAP, healthcare, etc), then blames immigrants. Then shows you what they're gonna do about it, which is just scary enough on an unconscious level that you don't really want to fuck with them.
So everyone just sits still while they finish rebuilding the guilded age, ensuring that resources go to Quality People.
Which is going to be a thing. You don't think that the heads of industry don't believe in climate change, do you? Of course they do. It's the best thing to happen in favor of feudalism since the chimney.