The scenes unfolding in Los Angeles this week should alarm every American who believes in the rule of law. Violent criminals are blocking the streets, torching vehicles, and assaulting the brave men and women in law enforcement who are simply doing their jobs: enforcing the immigration laws that Congress passed and the American people voted to see upheld.
This isn’t peaceful protest. This is anarchy, plain and simple.
What we’re witnessing in Los Angeles is the predictable result of years of failed leadership at every level—from the Biden Administration’s catastrophic border policies to California’s reckless sanctuary state laws.
For four years, the Biden Administration sent a clear message to the world: America’s borders are open, and our laws are optional. This communicates weakness and invites provocation. Indeed, this wasn’t just poor policy – it was a dereliction of duty that compromised our national security in ways we’re still discovering.
The consequences have been devastating. Drug cartels have grown richer and more powerful, flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl and wreaking havoc throughout the Western Hemisphere. Human traffickers have expanded their operations, exploiting vulnerable people while Democrats looked the other way. The massive influx of unvetted Chinese migrants almost certainly included numerous spies, though we may not know the true scale of the espionage enabled by this foolhardy policy for years to come. And perhaps most troubling, nearly 100 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were released into our country, including three with potential ISIS connections.
California’s leadership under Governor Gavin Newsom has made these problems exponentially worse. By declaring themselves a “sanctuary state” and actively obstructing federal immigration enforcement, they’ve essentially announced that they consider themselves above federal law.
When state and local officials refuse to enforce federal immigration law, they fail to uphold the most basic obligations of governance. Governments exist in order to keep citizens and their property secure; this is the essence of the social contract that underpins any civilized society. What authority can the government claim over the lives of its citizens if it does not perform this most essential function?
With the air once again thick with smoke under their watch, Governor Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass prefer to preen and pontificate rather than roll up their sleeves and do their jobs.
Ultimately, this isn’t just about immigration—it’s about whether we remain a nation governed by laws or descend into selective enforcement based on political preference. President Trump is right to prioritize enforcement of our immigration laws, and thanks to his leadership, illegal border crossings are at a record low. Given the abdication of responsibility by California’s state and local officials, President Trump is also justified in stepping in to restore order in Los Angeles and protect federal immigration agents from further assault.
The choice before us is clear: We can either be a nation of laws applied equally to all, or we can continue down the path of selective enforcement and mob rule. There must be accountability for lawlessness – by those who commit it, and by those who permit it.
