President Donald Trump has once again demonstrated his profound misunderstanding of how the American justice system works.
His latest pearl of wisdom? “We cannot give everyone a trial.” Yes, those are the actual words of a man who once swore to uphold the Constitution but now seems to think of it as a pesky speed bump on the road to authoritarianism. Trump’s statement was in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to block his administration’s plan to deport migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The law, originally passed during John Adams’ presidency, was designed for a very different time—when fears of French spies dominated the political landscape. But Trump, ever the opportunist, decided to repurpose it as a weapon against migrants.
This time, however, even the conservative-leaning Supreme Court wasn’t buying what Trump was selling. In a 7-2 ruling, the Court put the brakes on Trump’s plan to deport migrants—allegedly gang-affiliated—without so much as a hearing. The decision effectively called time-out on a policy that would have sent people to mass prisons in El Salvador without giving them the chance to present their case. According to the ruling, basic due process rights cannot be ignored, even when Trump wants to play judge, jury, and deportation officer.
Trumpaccused the Court of being “intimidated by the Radical Left.” Never mind that this decision wasn’t made by some liberal cabal but by a bipartisan majority that included justices he himself appointed. Fairness isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be fair. And yes, that includes taking the time to determine whether someone accused of being a gang member is actually guilty—or if they’re just a terrified asylum seeker. The Fifth Amendment explicitly states that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Notice it doesn’t say “no citizen”—it says “no person.”
What’s especially galling is the way Trump frames migrants as nothing more than “violent criminals and terrorists.” Study after study has shown that immigrants, both documented and undocumented, commit crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens. But Trump has never let facts get in the way of a good fear-mongering campaign. For a man who claims to love America, he sure seems to hate the principles that make it America.
So the next time Trump complains about the courts not letting him “do his job,” maybe we should ask him what that job actually entails. Because if it involves ignoring the Constitution, trampling on human rights, and deporting people without trials, then maybe—just maybe—it’s a job he was never qualified for in the first place.
Published: Apr 22, 2025 01:27 pm