President ignoring Constitution and courts

America has a rich tradition of Welcoming the Stranger and profiting from the energy, new ideas and innovations of immigrants. Our official backtracking on this has more to do with populist politics than any possible benefit to our country.

We also have a strong tradition, as well as a constitutional mandate, to respect the rule of law.

The treatment of Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been a national shame on both fronts. The President has acknowledged that this man was sent in error to a particularly cruel prison in El Salvador. The Supreme Court has mandated that this man be returned for due process – to which all people on American soil are entitled, based on the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to our Constitution.

Our president, who should have moved quickly to redress this and related errors, as well as to provide due process for all immigrants whom he would prefer to simply expel, has ignored this ruling of the Supreme Court. He has also commented that we cannot provide due process to people who may be deported because there are so many of them, and he is in such a hurry.

Yes, our president is in too much of a rush to follow our Constitution, in order to do something of questionable use.

Regardless of our feelings about immigrants, we all have reason to be concerned for our own welfare when our government proves willing to ignore the Constitution. This must be stopped now, by Congress and the courts.

Please write and call your representatives.

– Gail Trenfield, St. Ignatius