Illegal Means Illegal: Every Illegal Migrant Is a Criminal

The current unrest in Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities should serve as a wake-up call to the American public. When law enforcement finally starts doing its job under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Border Czar Tom Homan, chaos erupts. But not because of law enforcement. It’s because illegal aliens, who have been emboldened for years, are finally being held accountable.

Let’s be crystal clear. The term “illegal immigrant” is not a slur. It is a legal classification. Entering the United States without following proper legal channels is a crime. It is a willful violation of America’s immigration laws. Every person who crosses our border illegally has committed a federal offense. That makes them criminals by definition.

It doesn’t stop there. Illegal immigration is a gateway crime. It fuels a dangerous pipeline of drug smuggling, human trafficking, child exploitation, and cartel-driven violence. Coyotes, or human smugglers, charge thousands of dollars per migrant, who many never make it to their destination alive. The U.S. has no reliable data on how many undocumented migrants have been kidnapped, forced into labor or sex trafficking, or used as drug mules by the cartels. But anyone who doubts this is happening is simply refusing to face reality.

And now, those same migrants are walking our streets in broad daylight. The images coming out of Los Angeles and places like Atlanta and Seattle are horrifying. Mobs are looting, fighting police, and openly defying the rule of law. These are not peaceful demonstrators. These are agitators who don’t even understand, let alone respect, the country they are trying to claim as their own. They are here illegally, but act like they are entitled to special treatment.

And yet, they are protected by people like Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Bass has built her political career on radical activism and Marxist-aligned causes. In her youth, she traveled frequently to Fidel Castro’s Cuba as part of the pro-communist Venceremos Brigade. In the 1980s, she founded the Community Coalition in South Los Angeles, a nonprofit that today controls over $30 million in assets, including $3 million in government grants. She has long aligned herself with fringe movements and institutions like the National Endowment for Democracy, which has been accused of meddling in the affairs of sovereign nations under the guise of spreading democracy.

Even worse, Bass was the recipient of a $95,000 scholarship from USC while serving in Congress. This is the same kind of unethical behavior that landed former LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in federal court. Prosecutors even said Bass’s involvement was critical to their bribery case. But she avoided consequences. Why? Because she is protected by the same political machine that shields the criminals flooding our streets.

And then there’s Newsom, who recently attacked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for enforcing immigration laws. According to Newsom, supporting federal immigration authorities endangers communities. The truth is just the opposite. What actually endangers communities is allowing unvetted, undocumented, unemployable, and often criminal foreigners to flood neighborhoods unchecked. These individuals are not community members. They are not taxpayers. They do not share American values. They are not here to integrate or contribute. They are here to exploit.

Until Americans regain the moral clarity to call illegal immigration what it truly is—criminal behavior—we will continue to see our cities descend into lawlessness. The president understands this. His administration designated the cartels as terrorist organizations and backed ICE with the tools they needed to do their jobs effectively.

This is not about race or ethnicity. It is about law, order, and sovereignty. I live in a country with closed and secure borders: Bulgaria. We do not have a fentanyl crisis. We do not suffer from cartel violence. We are a peaceful, tolerant, multiethnic society that includes Christians, Muslims, Jews, Armenians, and Roma. What unites us is our shared respect for the rule of law and love of country.

That’s what makes a functioning society. Not sanctuary policies. Not political grandstanding. And certainly not allowing criminals to masquerade as victims. America should be leading the world by example. Instead, cities like Los Angeles are showing the world what happens when a nation forgets how to defend itself.

The American people deserve better. They deserve safe streets, secure borders, and a government that puts its own citizens first. Trump is delivering exactly that. And the silent majority is ready to be silent no more. We will continue rooting for the American people on from Bulgaria!

We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.

The post Illegal Means Illegal: Every Illegal Migrant Is a Criminal appeared first on The Daily Signal.