Appearing on Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft and guest co-host John Kass, Power Line contributor and Center of the American Experiment president John Hinderaker weighed in on the fallout from President Biden’s border policies and the state of the Democratic Party. The conversation focused on immigration enforcement, judicial overreach, and the radical turn of Democratic leaders, with Hinderaker issuing a blunt warning: America’s rule of law is in peril.
A Deadly Result of Open Borders
The segment opened with the tragic story of two California teenagers killed in 2021 by an illegal immigrant driving under the influence at over 100 mph. Although the man responsible was sentenced to 10 years, he is being released just three years later. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer request to take him into custody, but in states like California and Illinois—both sanctuary jurisdictions—similar requests have routinely been ignored.
“This is another consequence of the Biden administration’s failure to enforce the law,” said Proft, pointing to the leniency extended to those who have entered the country illegally and committed serious crimes. “These preventable tragedies are being suborned by elected officials, prosecutors, and judges who treat immigration enforcement like a sin.”
Kass cited the Illinois case of Dennis McCann, killed by an illegal immigrant who was released despite a detainer from ICE. “This is happening over and over again,” he said. “It’s not an accident. It’s a policy.”
Hope in Minnesota?
The conversation then pivoted to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his daughter, Hope Walz, who recently compared modern U.S. immigration enforcement to persecuting Jesus Christ. In a social media video, she claimed that Jesus would be deported without due process and warned of dark days ahead for America unless more “people who look like me” speak out.
“This is the same Hope Walz who, during the George Floyd riots, tweeted that the National Guard wouldn’t be deployed—essentially giving rioters the green light,” Hinderaker reminded listeners. “Now she’s back as the moral conscience of the left, equating an MS-13-linked illegal immigrant with Jesus.”
Hinderaker added that the governor has been conspicuously absent from Minnesota’s current legislative session, even as the state faces a looming $6 billion budget deficit. “It’s like Where’s Waldo,” he joked. “Walz has been too busy touring with Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke to govern.”
Judiciary in Decline
Turning to federal courts, Hinderaker and the hosts criticized recent judicial decisions that appear to block or delay Trump’s immigration policies. Kass cited a growing perception that courts are becoming partisan actors, undermining their own credibility.
“What you’re seeing is strategic judge shopping by Democrats,” Hinderaker said. “They file cases in jurisdictions where they know they’ll draw loyal Democratic judges. The goal is to tie up every Trump policy in litigation and then claim he didn’t get anything done.”
The Supreme Court has yet to weigh in meaningfully, but Hinderaker predicted that it will have to confront fundamental questions soon about the scope of presidential authority and due process when dealing with millions of illegal immigrants.
“If you’ve got 10 million people here illegally, due process doesn’t mean a full trial for every individual,” he said. “We have to restore the rule of law—and that means enforcing existing immigration laws.”
A Party Moving Left—Fast
The conversation closed with a broader critique of the Democratic Party’s direction. With Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois announcing he won’t seek reelection, the door is open for new faces—many of whom represent the party’s far-left flank.
Hinderaker warned that figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are gaining traction and could even capture the party’s 2028 presidential nomination. “Mark Penn said it best,” Proft added. “If AOC is the nominee, Democrats will go back to being the party that only wins one state.”
While Hinderaker sees a possible opening for Republicans in 2028, he cautioned against overconfidence. “Voters tend to switch sides out of fatigue, not because of a deep philosophical conversion,” he said. “If Trump stumbles or overreaches, a radical Democrat could still end up in the White House.”
From the border crisis to the ideological drift of the Democratic Party, Hinderaker delivered a sobering message: America’s foundational institutions are being tested like never before. If the judiciary fails to uphold the law—and if voters forget who created the crisis in the first place—any political gains made by Trump and Republicans could be short-lived.
“This is about more than policy,” Hinderaker concluded. “It’s about whether the rule of law still matters in America.”