Trump deportation plan targets U.S. citizens, drawing fierce backlash over constitutional concerns.
Speaking at a White House event alongside El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Trump stated his interest in deporting so-called “homegrown criminals”, referencing violent street crimes committed by American citizens. He noted that Attorney General Pam Bondi is currently “studying the law” to explore the idea.
Legal Experts Slam the Proposal
Immigration advocates and constitutional scholars immediately pushed back against the Trump deportation plan.
“It is pretty obviously illegal and unconstitutional,” said Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason University.
Under current immigration law, deportation powers apply solely to noncitizens. Legal experts say stripping citizens of their rights and exiling them to foreign countries would violate the due process clause and the fundamental rights of citizenship.
“You cannot exile a U.S. citizen, even a convicted one, to a foreign prison,” said Anthony Kreis of Georgia State University.
A Dangerous Precedent
The controversy comes on the heels of the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a noncitizen wrongly deported to El Salvador without a conviction or due process. While a judge ordered his return, the Trump administration argued he was outside U.S. jurisdiction. Bukele has refused to send him back.
Legal experts fear this logic — if applied to U.S. citizens — could allow the government to remove people without trial, judicial review, or recourse.
“The U.S. has already deported people illegally. This must stop before citizens become the next victims,” said David Bier of the Cato Institute.
Human Rights Concerns
El Salvador’s prisons, especially the one Bukele referenced, impose extreme conditions and hold inmates indefinitely. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Bukele had assured her that once someone is sent to that prison, they “will never leave.”
That chilling promise raises serious concerns about human rights abuses, especially if U.S. citizens were to be caught in this policy.
Source: NBC News
