It’s summer and Donald Trump is president again, so a new season of extremist vandalism and violence begins. Anarchists, communists, and radical leftists have been eagerly waiting for any excuse to riot and attack our institutions. Now that the federal government is enforcing immigration laws and deporting illegal immigrants, they have their excuse, but make no mistake, any excuse suffices for their nefarious designs.

The battle of Los Angeles is in its fifth day. Fomented by disinformation that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was randomly rounding up illegal immigrants around Los Angeles, anti-ICE protests seemingly sparked spontaneously last Friday. There may have been some legitimate protesters initially only intending to exercise their First Amendment rights to dissent, but the ostensibly peaceful protests quickly devolved into rioting, looting, and burning that very first night. Going into the weekend, the Los Angeles Police Department Chief admitted his police force was under intense assault and overwhelmed.

Despite acute gaslighting by progressive politicians and press, these riots are anything but peaceful. LA rioters are viciously attacking law enforcement. They are hurling rocks at officers, throwing chucks of concrete off bridges at police, launching fireworks at mounted patrols, and setting police cars ablaze. Dozens of law enforcement personnel have been injured and the citizens endangered. California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass plunged LA into perilous chaos by their incompetence, but they lost control of the mean streets years ago when they created a sanctuary city and declined to prosecute low-level crime.

Democrat politicians are futilely insisting the protests are “peaceful,” but the shocking videos of vandalism and violence expose their absurd lies. If they have any credibility left, the media are shredding it. Once again, reporters describe riots as “peaceful” while showing burning vehicles in the background. One LA ABC reporter ridiculously tried to blame President Trump for inflaming tensions by sending the National Guard to restore order; he moronically claimed it’s just “people having fun watching cars burn.”

As expected, Democrats are desperately trying to blame Trump for the escalation, but the LA anti-ICE riots were violent days before Trump activated the National Guard and dispatched the Marines. Aside from blaming Trump, what was the Democrat response? From Newsom and Bass on down, Democrats declared solidarity with the rioters. Many encouraged them to continue the struggle. Despite widespread danger to the community from rampant burning, looting, and rioting, Democrats didn’t admonish protesters to go home. Why not?

Always trying to score political points on Trump, Democrats are betting on a dangerous gambit. They believe the 2020 “summer of love” George Floyd riots embarrassed and damaged Trump, so they are anxious to recreate that carnage regardless of the danger to Americans. They are morbidly hoping for a martyr to rile their rabid base. Democrats are hoping to entrap Trump by fomenting mischievous bedlam and then accusing Trump of authoritarian tactics when he restores order. Trump has also won over many Hispanic voters, so Democrats are trying to put a wedge into that new relationship.

Who are these protesters? There may be open borders advocates, but mostly they are anarchists and communists seeking to overthrow the United States. Not at all organic, these riots are highly coordinated and organized attacks on law enforcement. This is guerrilla warfare. These domestic terrorists are being directed like paramilitary units on encrypted social media applications on where to assemble and attack. Leftist groups are recruiting these rioters on Craigs List and paying them, but who is paying them? Who is funding these orchestrated riots?!

The short answer is it appears the American taxpayer is funding these assaults on our institutions. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are funding these radical groups and militant riots. Funded by government grants, many NGOs have ties to the rioters. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights is somehow involved providing material support, and they recently saw their government grants swell from $12 to $34 million; that buys a lot of fireworks and foot soldiers.

Americans should be demanding answers. Why does the FBI not know who these domestic terrorists are and who is funding them?! The FBI knows who the concerned parents are asking for accountability from woke school districts, orthodox Catholics, and every grandmother who was in Washington January 6th, so why don’t they know who these thugs are that show up to every riot across the country?!

Once again, Democrats are standing up for illegal immigrants, criminals, and rioters. Trump’s ICE is focused on arresting and deporting the worst criminal illegal aliens. They are deporting child molesters, drug dealers, murderers, and rapists, so why in the world are Democrats resisting the removal of a dangerous criminal element that threatens their citizens?! It’s all about power. Democrats oppose Trump on everything because they want to deny him any success at any cost. They will lose again. Americans are not fooled; they voted for law and order.

The other big losers are illegal immigrants and open borders advocates. Americans are repulsed and shocked by these malicious riots. There is compassion for immigrants seeking a better life, but when they attack our police waving Mexican flags, they hemorrhage support. The rioters are showing allegiance to a foreign power and Mexican President Scheinbaum pledged her support for the rioters even offering to help with legal fees. That is tantamount to declaring war on our Constitutional Republic by supporting an insurrection.

Yes, the California rebellion is the leading edge of the real insurrection, not the concocted nonsense about January 6th. The Democrat Party has been hijacked by the extreme left or more precisely communists. Regardless of label, Democrats desire and pursue totalitarian governance, but their policies and positions have been rejected by voters. Therefore, leftists must resort to violence when they lose elections or legislative votes, so they are holding Americans hostage to their riots. Echoed by almost every Democrat politician, the leftists are quite simply blackmailing the nation; if the Trump Administration will stop enforcing the law, they might stop rioting.

Americans are incensed by Democrat blackmail and brazen illegal alien disrespect. If you want to wave the Mexican flag, then go back to Mexico! Public support for deportations will increase. Like the October 7th attack in Israel backfired on Hamas, the battle of Los Angeles will backfire on illegal immigrants. Newsom is a failed governor, and Bass is a failed mayor now proven by their inability or unwillingness to cope with these manufactured riots.

Trump will not bow to Democrat extortion to advance lawlessness nor cede any American ground to anti-American militants like Europeans have abandoned Muslim ghettos. He will guarantee a victory for Americans and preserve the sovereignty of our Constitutional Republic. That’s exactly what Americans overwhelmingly voted for!

“In order that search may be made in the book of the records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from of old. That was why this city was laid waste” (Ezra 4:15).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.