States Can Pursue America First, Peace Through Strength Policies
The stunning, landslide victory in the presidential election, and changing of the guard set to occur in Congress, means that President-elect Trump will be well poised to act upon campaign promises to institute what he describes as an “America First” and “Peace Through Strength” agenda. That will mean avoiding unnecessary foreign entanglements and wars of choice, while strengthening America’s military and addressing challenges from adversaries closer to home by securing the border and improving America’s resilience to foreign threats.
We can expect that President Trump’s political opponents together with the administrative state (that huge federal bureaucracy popularly known as “The Swamp”) will erect every possible obstacle to prevent President Trump from fulfilling his mandate. They will have plenty of opportunities to delay, mangle, or obstruct efforts to reverse course on the disastrous security policies of the Biden administration.
As the administrative state martials its forces to thwart a Trump realignment of homeland and national security, state-level elected and appointed officials will have a vital role to play in helping secure America’s public safety. With the opportunity presented by the recent election it is absolutely vital that states institute policies that compliment and support the Trump America First/Peace Through Strength agenda.
States can act as a bulwark on a number of key issues. In particular states can lead on:
• Illegal Immigration and Border Security
States should pass laws to mirror federal immigration law and empower their law enforcement agencies to enforce federal law, especially when federal authorities are prevented from doing so through bureaucratic in-fighting.
State lawmakers should pass laws that mandate that state and local law enforcement and criminal justice systems cooperate with federal agencies, such as ICE and Border Patrol, as federal immigration enforcement begins to strengthen under the Trump administration.
States should ban all so-called sanctuary policies and pass and enforce E-Verify laws.
States should increase penalties for illegal aliens who commit crimes.
States should add human trafficking crimes as predicate crimes for anti-racketeering and terrorism laws to target human traffickers, especially child sex traffickers.
States should increase penalties for human smuggling, with mandatory 10-year sentences and enhanced penalties for “stash houses” and sexual assault associated with such crimes.
• China and other foreign adversaries
President Trump understands that China is a foreign adversary. What many Americans do not realize is that China has intentionally targeted state leaders with sophisticated influence operations; the Federal government has been open about its need for support from state governments.
States must protect military installations, agriculture land and critical infrastructure by restricting foreign adversary acquisition and control of land.
No segment of our society has been infiltrated and influenced more than our colleges and universities. States must strictly regulate their colleges and universities when entering into agreements and contracts with foreign adversaries and prohibit state university employees and officials from accepting anything of value from foreign adversaries.
States should also prohibit foreign adversary components from being used in critical infrastructure, such as the power grid.
States should prohibit charities and businesses charted by the state from having officers or board members associated with terrorists or state sponsors of terror, and from doing business with terrorists or state sponsors of terror.
• Terrorism, Rioting, and Political Violence
Following the October 7th terrorist invasion of Israel, the streets of America became a battleground as well, as pro-terrorist sympathizers have used tactics of riots, assault and sabotage against everyday Americans trying to go to school or operate their businesses.
This should not be a surprise. For decades, Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood have built up networks in America right under our noses. They renewed historic alliances with left-wing extremists, particularly Antifa.
States should pass fresh anti-rioting and anti-racketeering laws targeting the tactics and techniques used by Antifa and pro-Hamas groups. This includes enhanced penalties for trespassing, vandalism, arson and attacks on places of worship, monuments and critical infrastructure.
States that have not yet implemented state-level terrorism and material support for terrorism laws should do so.
• Promoting Patriotism
Part of the reason why anti-American ideologies are able to stoke disorder on state college campuses and on America’s streets, is the disastrous state of American education.
States should require elementary and secondary education curricula to teach America’s children about the virtues of the U.S. Constitution and our constitutional republic. These lesson plans should contrast our system with the evils of foreign tyrannical systems, including communism, socialism, fascism, and Islamism (which seeks to implement sharia (Islamic law).
States have struggled to uphold peace and security while the federal government has been largely AWOL during the Biden administration (when not actively promoting policies which are harmful.) With President Trump returning to office, it will be tempting to expect immediate improvements to federal policy which will negate the need for implementing aggressive state policies. But nothing could be further from the truth. Now is the time for state leaders to assert bold security policies that will bolster a Trump America First/Peace Through Strength agenda and make their citizens safer.
