When local leaders won’t act against a growing national crisis, the president must. That’s what leadership requires, plain and simple.

Since retaking office in January, President Trump has made real progress in the fight against illegal immigration. Federal officers have arrested thousands of individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stepped up enforcement, and law enforcement agencies across the country are finally empowered to act. Momentum is building.

Rather than call in help, Newsom let the protests spiral. Rather than support enforcement, he played to his base. So Trump stepped in.

But even as law enforcement cracks down on criminal networks, a wave of resistance has emerged. Some people are so determined to shield illegal immigrants from accountability that they’re willing to risk arrest themselves. This isn’t civil disobedience — it’s delusion.

Now Los Angeles has joined the act. Protests against ICE raids over the weekend overwhelmed police, and Trump believed he had no choice but to respond. He deployed 2,000 members of the National Guard to restore order, assist law enforcement, and help track down additional criminal suspects shielded by sanctuary activists.

Trump’s response wasn’t arbitrary — it was necessary. The local police needed backup. The goal: support enforcement efforts and remove dangerous individuals from our communities.

Yet the protesters insist they’re the ones defending freedom. They march in the streets, chant slogans, and claim the government threatens their civil liberties. In truth, they’re protecting people who broke the law — many of whom have criminal records or known ties to gangs and trafficking rings.

This isn’t about rounding up innocent neighbors. It’s a concentrated operation, led by ICE and overseen by border czar Tom Homan, to target known offenders and restore public safety. Trump’s opponents may not like the optics, but the mission remains clear: remove dangerous individuals who never should have been here in the first place.

California officials aren’t helping. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called the troop deployment “purposefully inflammatory” and accused the administration of escalating tensions. The League of United Latin American Citizens quickly condemned the move, describing it as a “deeply troubling escalation” and criticizing the use of “military-style tactics.”

What exactly would they have us do?

Under President Biden, federal authorities responded to the border crisis like an inconvenience rather than an invasion. Cartels, traffickers, and criminal networks exploited weak enforcement to gain a foothold in American cities. That lax approach put law-abiding citizens in danger. Now Trump is reversing course — and the left wants him to stop?

Let’s be honest: Violent actors don’t care about humanitarian gestures. They care about power and control. They harm people to maintain it. They don’t want leniency — they want impunity. When you reward lawbreaking with amnesty, you don’t get peace. You get more lawbreaking.

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Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Police Department has been walking a fine line. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell on Friday said the department would not aid ICE with its deportation efforts. L.A. remains a “sanctuary city,” after all.

But on Saturday, the department released a measured statement in response to the arrival of the National Guard: “We will maintain a heightened readiness posture and remain ready to ensure the continued safety of our communities.” That might be the best we can expect in this fraught political environment.

The LAPD didn’t complain — at least not publicly. It didn’t politicize the moment. The department chose duty over posturing. I commend the LAPD for that.

But I worry this situation could escalate — not because of Trump’s actions, but because of Newsom’s vanity. Rather than call in help, he let the protests spiral. Rather than support enforcement, he played to his base. So Trump stepped in to do the job Newsom wouldn’t.

This decision wasn’t made out of spite. It wasn’t political theater. It was about restoring order and ensuring the law applies equally. The people ICE is arresting are criminals. The objective is clear: locate them, arrest them, and remove them from American streets.

I support President Trump. I support the National Guard. I support the LAPD.

The time for softness is over. The border crisis created this problem. Now it falls to this administration to fix it.