President Donald Trump emphatically described the United States immigration system as “a mockery” on Sunday morning.
In a pair of tweets, he made it clear that he believes undocumented immigrants should be stripped of due process rights “immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases,” and that the U.S. should “bring them back from where they came.”
We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
….Our Immigration policy, laughed at all over the world, is very unfair to all of those people who have gone through the system legally and are waiting on line for years! Immigration must be based on merit – we need people who will help to Make America Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
Just two hours earlier, Trump said his administration is “doing a far better job than” former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He also blasted the Democrats once again, and claimed it was their responsibility to “fix the laws.”
Democrats, fix the laws. Don’t RESIST. We are doing a far better job than Bush and Obama, but we need strength and security at the Border! Cannot accept all of the people trying to break into our Country. Strong Borders, No Crime!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
While some of Trump’s tweets in the past have often been received as authoritarian in nature, his call to entirely eliminate due process for undocumented immigrants might be his most draconian, and repressive declaration to date.
Despite Trump’s attempts to make “law and order” sound like a central theme of his administration, he has frequently shown zero regard for the law or the U.S. Constitution, and his most recent tweets are no different.
Pundits, and experts alike quickly denounced the president’s increasing dehumanizing language, and his calls to deport undocumented immigrants without trial.
Trump just demanded the ability to deport anyone he wants, at any time, without the involvement of a judge or any due process whatsoever.
— @johniadarola.bsky.social (@johniadarola) June 24, 2018
This would violate longstanding US treaty obligations & international law. Now every move US makes in this area purportedly in the name of efficiency or safety will be seen as part of an effort to end not just due process but any process. Again, he makes his lawyers' job harder https://t.co/SWref6iWfm
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) June 24, 2018
Trump’s assertion of unreviewable power to serve as prosecutor, judge, and jury of every asylum-seeker’s claim of right to be here has no basis in our Constitution or laws. It is a power grab one would expect of a fascist dictator, beyond even George IIIhttps://t.co/cDReZBujD4
— Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ (@tribelaw) June 24, 2018
Except that here's what #SCOTUS (correctly) held in 1982:
"Aliens, even aliens whose presence in this country is unlawful, have long been recognized as 'persons' guaranteed due process of law by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments."https://t.co/29TdE6vxDE https://t.co/Dp42Ak8tOm
— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) June 24, 2018
The president of the United States:
-wants to suspend due process rights
-calls the press an enemy of the people
-calls for rougher treatment by police
-collects undisclosed millions in profits
-makes false allegations of election fraud
-calls for investigations of his opponents— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan on 🟦☁️) (@BrendanNyhan) June 24, 2018
Thank goodness for the Constitution, which requires due process. The Constitution and our laws are the only thing standing between Trump and deprivations of our rights, which is why he tries to undermine the judiciary at every turn. https://t.co/wAr7bO23dS
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) June 24, 2018
Frequent Trump critic and Democratic lawmaker Rep. Ted Lieu, of California, told the president over Twitter that he “should read the Constitution.” As president, Lieu tweeted, “you of all people need to follow law and order.”
Dear @realDonaldTrump: Remember the oath you took to the Constitution at your relatively small inauguration? You should read the Constitution. The Due Process Clause applies to all persons, not just US citizens.
As @POTUS, you of all people need to follow law and order. https://t.co/CK8VSVrp8h
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 24, 2018
In the end, the tweets could backfire on the Trump administration in the end, especially as House Republicans are in the midst of looking to pass a comprehensive immigration bill, the Washington Post reported.
It all comes as the president, who has made immigration policy the crux of his presidency, has ignited widespread criticism and outrage over his recent “zero tolerance” policy on migration. The policy, which began in April but has since been reversed due to pressure, separated migrant families at the U.S. border indefinitely.
