Steve Cortes, Founder of the League of American Workers, said Richmond must reject soft on crime policies and clean up their streets as President Trump has said he will send federal forces into large cities to stop violent crime.
“Law and order isn’t optional. It is the foundation of freedom,” Steve Cortes told Richmond Leader. “Richmond must choose justice over crime, or criminals will keep running the streets while citizens pay the price.”
While crime trends vary over the past decade, recent data from the Global Statistics shows fluctuations. Following improvements in the mid‑2010s, violent crime increased during the COVID‑19 pandemic, peaking in 2021 with 1.33 million cases and a murder rate of 6.9 per 100,000, levels not seen in over two decades, before declining again by 2023.
On August 11, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., invoking Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to assume federal control over the Metropolitan Police Department. He also established the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force” to deploy federal law enforcement and National Guard personnel in response to what his administration described as “rampant violence” in the capital.
President Trump announced plans to target Chicago in his federal crime crackdown campaign, following actions in Washington, D.C., according to CBS News. He suggested that Chicago, along with other major cities like New York, could see National Guard deployment, as part of a broader initiative against crime, homelessness, and illegal immigration.
In 2023, Richmond recorded a crime index of 326, about 1.4 times the national average; the overall crime rate rose 11 % from 2022, according to City-Data.
Cortes is also known as President of League of American Workers and serves as a senior political advisor to CatholicVote. His previous roles include serving as a senior advisor to President Trump and JD Vance, as well as being a commentator for Fox News and CNN. Cortes frequently publishes documentaries and columns at cortesinvestigates.com.
