National & Minnesota Report
In recent days, we’ve spoken with a wide range of immigrants—former DACA recipients, legal permanent residents with Green Cards, and HB1 visa holders—about a chilling proposal reportedly floated by the Trump camp: deporting individuals without the due process of habeas corpus, without hearings, and without judicial oversight.
The response has been a mix of fear and defiance. Some are anxious, double-checking their paperwork and reaching out to immigration attorneys. Others are furious—some even militant—saying, “F it, come and get me.” That kind of desperation tells you something deeply troubling is happening in the national psyche.
Let’s be crystal clear: the idea of stripping someone—anyone—of habeas corpus protections is not just bad policy. It’s a direct assault on the foundations of Western legal civilization.
Habeas corpus isn’t some optional legal nicety. It’s a cornerstone of democratic society. It’s the principle that no government can detain someone indefinitely without showing cause before a judge. This is not a partisan issue—it’s a human rights issue, a rule-of-law issue, and an American values issue.
The origins of habeas corpus date back to the Magna Carta of 1215, a document that marked the first serious attempt to restrain the powers of the king. It wasn’t just a piece of parchment—it was a promise: that no one, not even royalty, could wield unchecked power over an individual’s freedom. That tradition carried forward through English common law and was woven directly into the fabric of the U.S. Constitution.
If any administration—Trump’s or anyone else’s—tries to unilaterally bypass those protections, we hope the U.S. Supreme Court will rise to the moment. This is not the time for procedural deference or political calculation. It is a time for clarity and conviction.
Rejecting such a policy is not just about protecting immigrants; it’s about protecting all of us. Once the government has the power to detain and deport without a hearing, without a judge, and without oversight, that power can—and will—be used more broadly.
And by then, it won’t just be immigrants who are scared.