"When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came," the president tweeted Sunday.
President Donald Trump speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on May 28, 2018. President Donald Trump on Sunday called for immediately deporting immigrants—a group he referred to people who "invade our country"—without due process.
The ACLU hit back at president's proposal, calling it "both illegal and unconstitutional," as the right to due process extends to those who've entered the U.S. without documentation.
At roughly 11am, Trump sent out a pair of tweets, saying in part, "When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came."
We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country. When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back from where they came. Our system is a mockery to good immigration policy and Law and Order. Most children come without parents...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
....Our Immigration policy, laughed at all over the world, is very unfair to all of those people who have gone through the system legally and are waiting on line for years! Immigration must be based on merit - we need people who will help to Make America Great Again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 24, 2018
📣 What President Trump suggested here is both illegal and unconstitutional.
— ACLU (@ACLU) June 24, 2018
Any official who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws should disavow it unequivocally. https://t.co/qsy58VACSB
"That's not how any of this works," the ACLU added in a comment about Trump's tweet.
It was just a year and half ago Trump swore he would "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States"—a point noted by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.):
<>Dear @realDonaldTrump: Remember the oath you took to the Constitution at your relatively small inauguration? You should read the Constitution. The Due Process Clause applies to all persons, not just US citizens.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 24, 2018
As @POTUS, you of all people need to follow law and order. https://t.co/CK8VSVrp8h
Ethics expert Norm Eisen, meanwhile, suggested the tweets were a sign the president's attack on the rule of law would widen its scope:
He's trying to use the most vulnerable as a battering ram in his ongoing attack on the rule of law. But if he can deprive them of due process, American citizens will be next. How long before new chant at his rallies is "lock them all up"? Now is the time to hold the line https://t.co/38wSQj3ghK
— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) June 24, 2018
