admin
President Trump acted this week to protect federal personnel and facilities in Portland, ordering a federal deployment after months of threats and targeted attacks on immigration facilities that city leaders failed to stop. The president made clear that Washington will not stand idly by while federal agents and property are assaulted, and federal authorities moved to secure the sites and restore order.
Derek Maltz, the seasoned law-enforcement official now leading the DEA under the Trump administration, has been blunt about the consequences of tolerating chaos; his long record in drug enforcement and his recent public warnings underscore that the federal government will use every tool to protect Americans. Maltz has been a frequent voice on national broadcasts demanding action against lawlessness and the fentanyl epidemic — a reminder that experienced professionals, not political opportunists, are now setting enforcement priorities.
Portland’s political class has spent years embracing soft-on-crime policies and sanctimony, and when violence flared they pleaded for calm while refusing to confront the rot at its root. Local officials urged residents to “not take the bait,” but that same inaction left federal facilities vulnerable and hardworking public servants exposed to real danger. Communities fed up with permissiveness now watch as the federal government moves where local leadership failed.
Conservatives who warned for years about the consequences of disarming law enforcement and coddling rioters were proven right again; when federal property and personnel are threatened, the federal government has a duty to act. President Trump’s decision to authorize a robust response — including deploying forces to secure ICE facilities and deter organized violence — is the responsible, patriotic choice to prevent chaos from spreading.
Critics will cry federal overreach and clutch their pearls about civil liberties, but the bottom line is simple: there is no liberty without safety, and government’s first duty is to protect citizens and those who enforce the law. The 2025 pattern of federal deployments to protect vulnerable sites shows the administration is willing to act where local officials refuse, and Americans who pay taxes and obey the law expect no less.
Mainstream outlets and local activists are already spinning this as an authoritarian grab, but many Portland residents reported confusion when national news insisted the city was a “war zone” — a reminder that partisan narratives too often obscure the real threats. That confusion does not absolve civic leaders of responsibility, and it does not change the fact that federal authorities must be ready to secure people and property when mobs and politically motivated violence target them.
Patriotic Americans should welcome leaders who refuse to tolerate incompetence and soft-on-crime excuses. The coming days will test whether Portland’s officials will finally cooperate to protect their communities, or double down on the permissive policies that created this crisis. If they choose chaos, the federal government — backed by tough, experienced officials like Derek Maltz — will do what it must so law-abiding citizens can sleep safely in their homes.
