Washington insiders know a truth the coastal elites refuse to admit: when lawlessness erupts, the federal government has a duty to step in and restore order. That’s precisely what former DEA operations chief Derek Maltz signaled when he warned Portland rioters and local lawmakers to “get ready” for a White House that will not tolerate incompetence or chaos, a message echoing President Trump’s blunt criticism of Portland’s leadership.
Patience with mayors who shrug while their cities burn is not a virtue — it’s a catastrophe. For months Portland has been a case study in failed governance, and the president rightly declared that federal forces won’t be withdrawn until public safety is restored and the mob is broken. Americans who pay taxes and obey the law expect their leaders to do the same; anything less is betrayal.
Conservatives should be proud that there are officials in Washington ready to act rather than posture. Federal officers were deployed to protect federal property and keep order when local authorities abdicated responsibility, and those courageous agents deserve our support, not scorn from partisan politicians who prefer virtue signaling to results. The alternative — leaving courthouses and neighborhoods at the mercy of thugs — is unthinkable and unconscionable.
Derek Maltz brings real credibility to the conversation; his decades in drug enforcement and recent role at DEA give him the standing to warn about the corrosive effects of lawlessness and the related drug scourge ravaging American communities. His focus on fentanyl and cartel networks underscores the national-security dimension of local disorder: when cities crumble, criminal enterprises and deadly drugs fill the vacuum.
The human cost is not an abstract talking point — it’s kids dead from fentanyl-laced pills and neighborhoods that parents no longer feel safe walking through at night. That reality is why conservatives insist on decisive action: border security, law enforcement backed by federal support when necessary, and local leaders who prioritize citizens over political theater. We will not let our children become collateral damage to progressive experiments in permissiveness.
It’s time for patriots to demand competence and courage from every level of government: elect leaders who will fund police, secure borders, and restore public order, and hold accountable those who tolerate chaos. The choice is stark and simple — liberty and safety under the rule of law, or the creeping anarchy that follows when politicians look the other way. America was built by those who stand firm; now is the moment to stand with them.
