WASHINGTON TIMES: DAVID BOSSIE: In Los Angeles, we are seeing what a radicalized Democratic Party really wants

The two major political parties historically had differing ideologies and pathways for pursuing the best policy agendas, but the overall goal was the same: making America a better place to live for future generations. Sadly, that is no longer the case in the age of Donald Trump and the onset of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Look no further than Democrats’ latest temper tantrum over President Trump’s efforts to secure our homeland by arresting and deporting illegal immigrant criminals. What’s playing out on the streets of Los Angeles and other cities across the country confirms that the left is so invested in open borders that it now has no choice but to be against law and order.

Nearly eight months since the historic reelection of Mr. Trump, the radicalized Democratic Party is proving to be incapable of changing direction. Rather than admit fault over the Biden-Harris open border disgrace and help Mr. Trump fix the mess, leftists are doubling down on the illegal immigrant invasion they perpetrated. In response to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations supporting law enforcement and the rule of law, Democrats are turning their backs on those risking their lives to make America safe again.

For millions of hardworking citizens, it’s downright breathtaking to see a major political party crumbling before their eyes and revealing that it has no interest in pursuing what a majority of the American people want. Bedrock issues such as putting America first, commonsense leadership, border security, and law and order are no longer on the menu for the rudderless Democratic Party. The unhinged left hates Mr. Trump so much that it is instead choosing chaos and foolishness. I have been saying it for 10 years, and I’ll say it again now: Democrats hate Mr. Trump more than they love their country.

Let’s remember that the president has secured the border in record time and is now focused on securing the homeland. ICE is on the offensive in sanctuary jurisdictions because that’s where dangerous illegal immigrant criminals are allowed to hide and evade our laws. Recent polling indicates that Americans support Mr. Trump’s deportation policy. They want the Trump administration to put American citizens first, and that’s exactly what’s happening. One thing’s for sure: Democrats’ full-throated opposition to ICE law enforcement efforts is shameful and telling.

For four long years, the Biden administration and congressional Democrats gleefully welcomed millions upon millions of illegal immigrants into our country, never lifting a finger to stop the influx. Then, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris tried to sell the tall tale that Democrats favored border security after all and Republicans in Congress wouldn’t help pass her bill. As it turns out, we didn’t need “comprehensive immigration” legislation — just strong leadership back in the Oval Office.

Now that Mr. Trump is securing the border and the homeland on his own, we see what the left truly desires. As Democrats elect to die on the hill of open borders and anti-deportation protests, it’s becoming clear that a political party would make these disastrous moves only if it believes Mr. Trump’s law and order policies will hurt its vote tallies in upcoming elections. Everyone knows that going to extremes like this happens only when an existential threat is present.

All the juvenile stunts — whether it’s California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pathetic “national address” and flimsy lawsuit or Sen. Alex Padilla’s grandstanding interruption of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press briefing — are part of a game to demonstrate to Democrats’ deep-pocketed, anti-American benefactors who hate Mr. Trump the most. Perhaps just as important, they are meant to show who’s willing to go to the mattresses in defense of a catastrophic policy of illegal immigration. Watching left-wing governors Tim Walz, J.B. Pritzker and Kathy Hochul testify on Capitol Hill about their dangerous sanctuary policies with a nothing-to-see-here attitude was an infuriating display of smug dishonesty under oath.

The radical left’s reprehensible behavior has become all too predictable, and the playbook is eerily familiar. On the one hand, Democratic politicians shift blame and refuse to admit fault and are given a free pass by their allies in the liberal media. On the other hand, orchestrated protesters create a phony narrative du jour and get MSNBC and CNN to cover it ad nauseam. The antics against ICE and law and order look like carbon copies of the Occupy Wall Street movement from more than a decade ago and the more recent resist Trump, defund the police and pro-Hamas protests.

Once again, it poses the question: Who is paying for these professional protests? Nothing about what is happening in Los Angeles is organic.

The American people have lost patience with these manipulative outbursts and demand that the Justice Department, the FBI and congressional committees issue subpoenas, follow the money and find who is funding this faux outrage because bank records don’t lie. If Mr. Padilla were really interested in legitimate oversight, as he insists, he would make this endeavor a bipartisan investigation.

The loony left’s latest sideshow won’t stop Mr. Trump and our heroes in law enforcement from getting the job done. The president prides himself on keeping promises to the American people, and conducting the most extensive deportation program in history is a top priority, much to Democrats’ chagrin.

David N. Bossie is the president of Citizens United. He served as a senior adviser to the Trump 2024 and 2020 campaigns. He served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President in 2016 and deputy executive director for the Trump transition team.