The right to due process

Our constitution provides that “No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” It is a principle that traces its origins back 800 years to the English Magna Carta. As our Supreme Court has recognized many times, “no person” means citizen and noncitizen alike.

So, when President Trump tweets that noncitizens should be deported with “no Judges or Court Cases,” it shows that the President does not know much about constitutional law, and it reminds us about the importance of an independent judiciary. It is a point the country needs to remember these days.

– Richard Cohen, President, Southern Poverty Law Center