The Trump administration’s kidnapping of citizens, permanent legal residents (those holding Green Cards), tourists and so-called “illegal immigrants” tramples on our Bill of Rights.
These are your rights:
The 4th Amendment prohibits the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures.
The 5th Amendment says the government cannot deprive you of life, liberty, or property without following due process of law. This means police cannot just snatch you off the street and imprison you as they did recently with a Tufts University student.
The 6th Amendment guarantees you get to know the charges against you, to confront witnesses, the right to legal counsel, and to get a speedy trial with an impartial jury.
The 8th amendment says the government cannot inflict cruel and unusual punishment, which means they can’t just throw you on a plane and send you to jail in El Salvador.
The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law, and ensures due process for all. And “all” means everyone – citizens, green card holders, tourists on a visa, workers on a work visa, and yes, even folks here without a visa, whether you like it or not.
The 1st Amendment protects your right to freely express your opinions, even if they are unpopular.
The 9th Amendment protects your right to keep your personal matters private.
The Tufts University student is a Fulbright scholar seeking a doctorate in philosophy. She is here legally to study, teach, conduct research, and exchange ideas. (Remember, the Fulbright Program is a U.S. government program.)
Walking down the street, she is approached by several masked people who take her phone and backpack and handcuff her. They force her into a car and kidnap her. She was denied a lawyer. She is imprisoned. All of which violates her rights under the 4th, 5th. 6th, 8th and 14th amendments.
A DHS spokesperson accused her of supporting Hamas. Reports say that she had been involved in pro-Palestinian activism. She had co-written an op-ed in the Tufts student newspaper, criticizing the university’s response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Palestinians.
Maybe you think what the government is doing is OK, maybe you don’t. It doesn’t matter. If you’re not alarmed and offended, consider what Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote in 1946:
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
No one has rights if the government can void them at any time. Your opinion might line up with the government today, but might not in the future. Better speak up while you still can.