For centuries, the writ of habeas corpus—a fundamental protection against unlawful imprisonment—has remained a core fixture of democratic governance. Suspending it would defy the Constitution, but Trump is weighing his options.
Sending people to another country didn't start with Donald Trump, but with George W. Bush in the War on Terror, called "extraordinary rendition." “Extraordinary” when it occurs outside of normal legal strictures, as with Abrego García today.
While Abrego Garcia’s individual case was tragic, Van Hollen said it had even larger implications for the strength of constitutional rights to due process. “The president, the Trump administration, are defying, the order from the Supreme Court."
It looks like potential contempt proceedings in the Alien Enemies Act case and the Abrego Garcia case will be running in parallel, leapfrogging each other for the right to be the Supreme Court’s biggest test so far of the Trump II presidency.
Reader Comments: First they came for Kilmar; We Should All Be Very, Very Afraid; New Resource: Immigrants And the Economy; Lots of Cartoons as we struggle to make the world better; and more
“In his pursuit of the life promised by the American dream, Brother Kilmar was literally helping to build this great country. What did he get in return? Arrest and deportation to a nation whose prisons face outcry from human rights organizations."
Trump is seeking to establish a truly chilling proposition: that no one can stop his administration from imprisoning anyone it wants... If the government can disappear any people it wishes, we all should be very, very afraid.
Ten national unions and dozens of locals representing more than 3 million members have issued a joint statement demanding the release of immigrant workers recently snatched by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (You can add your name below)
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