The Fall Of Los Angeles
We believe anyone who witnessed the distressing images from Los Angeles would struggle to hold back tears at how America has changed in just under a decade since President Donald Trump first came down the golden escalator in New York.
Almost five years to the day since riots broke out nationwide to protest the killing of a Black man by a white police officer in Minneapolis, we are forced to quote President Ronald Reagan by saying, "Here we go again." The Left has been planning and executing resistance to Donald Trump ever since he was reelected in a landslide. At every turn, federal judges have issued temporary restraining orders, many with nationwide injunctions. Particularly potent has been the resistance to the Trump administration's actions to deport criminal elements among the 19 million or so illegal border crossings and overstays that occurred during the Biden administration.
For all the talk of mass deportation, the Trump administration has barely touched the surface of the problem. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents descended on Los Angeles this weekend, the plan was to arrest what the agency called criminal illegal aliens and subject them to deportation proceedings. In other words, they were doing what federal law expects them to do.
What unfolded in LA demonstrated how much of a banana republic America has become. First, protesters began pelting stones at passing law enforcement vehicles, then positioned themselves to prevent federal agents from even approaching the federal building where operations would take place. Soon, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass—who infamously mismanaged the recent fires—issued a powerful message of resistance on social media, declaring, "We will not stand for this."
In other words, the chief executive of one of the largest cities in America was openly confronting the federal government after President Trump won a mandate to deport those who crossed our borders illegally. Worse, she was using her official position to indirectly encourage more attacks and resistance against federal forces, ignoring decades of Supreme Court precedent establishing that the federal government retains supremacy when it comes to immigration issues.
The worst of it all came when she resorted to delaying tactics that endangered federal law enforcement officers. ICE issued a statement saying they were overwhelmed by the physical resistance of rock-throwing and stone-pelting mobs. They had called the LAPD repeatedly for assistance with riot control. The objective of the day—arresting criminal illegal aliens—had taken a backseat. What was paramount now was protecting federal property and, more importantly, the lives and safety of federal agents.
Inexplicably, the LAPD did not respond for nearly two hours, reflecting their leader's original declaration that they "would not stand for this." Anyone knows that two hours is an eternity when riots are spreading—a crucial time when mobs can geometrically escalate and spread to different parts of the city, making the resistance appear to be happening across all of greater Los Angeles.
As dramatic footage from hundreds of citizen journalists surfaced, we knew the resistance had gained the upper hand. It was almost a play-by-play repeat of what happened during the Floyd riots five summers ago. The one saving grace is that, at least until now, these protests have been limited to Los Angeles.
Some of the images were absolutely shocking. Hundreds of protesters waving the flags of foreign countries were surrounded by destruction, fire, and smoke. At Paramount Studios, a Fox News reporter documented how his car was damaged and his tires slashed, with anti-ICE messages painted on the side of his vehicle. Looters took advantage of the situation and began ransacking local stores. Through all this, the LAPD remained silent bystanders, obeying the orders of their mayor.
Seven hundred miles northeast, in the seat of power in California, the governor was taking a hands-off approach. When governors take office, they take an oath to protect the lives of citizens in their state. Indeed, everyone in greater Los Angeles—illegal immigrant or otherwise—is entitled to protection from violence.
But the politically charged atmosphere is so intense that the governor determined any use of force to quell the riots would mean joining hands with President Trump—an absolute no-no in liberal circles. So, placing party priorities higher than his legal obligation to millions of Los Angeles residents, Governor Newsom stayed away.
When President Trump invoked federal authority to bring in the National Guard, many liberals raised their eyebrows. How could the president force a state governor to deploy the National Guard when it's the governor who controls the state's National Guard?
Trump Vows Action: “Los Angeles Will Be Set Free” as Migrant Riots EscalateFortunately, federal law is on the President's side. 10 USC 12406 authorizes the President to call the National Guard into federal service during times of war, a national emergency declared by Congress or the President, or when necessary to repel an invasion, suppress rebellion, or execute federal laws if state authorities are unable or unwilling to do so. When called, National Guard members serve under federal control, subject to the same discipline and organization as regular armed forces, and may be deployed within or outside the United States. To ensure that command and control procedures were followed, all 2,000 forces were temporarily moved to the Pentagon's Northern Command.
Foreign leaders see that America is internally divided. The laws of statecraft dictate that when a country is suffering from such discord, rival nations stand to gain by delaying, contesting, and challenging that administration's priorities—even when doing so might hurt their own interests.
The summer has just begun. We are in for a very long summer of resistance simply because the Trump administration is doing the job it was elected to do. The question remains: Will America's institutions hold, or will the resistance continue to turn violent in the face of lawful federal authority?
The images from Los Angeles serve as a stark reminder that when local officials abandon their duty to maintain order, chaos follows. The choice before us is clear: Support the rule of law or watch our nation descend further into lawlessness.
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