Imagine you are far from home—traveling, studying, working, or perhaps just lost in unfamiliar lands—and your rights are suddenly questioned. Would you not demand justice? Would you not expect due process, the most basic of human rights, to shield you from harm or injustice?
So why, then, is the President of the United States—the global beacon of democracy—flirting with the notion that certain immigrants or foreigners might not be entitled to due process under U.S. law?
Let us be clear: due process is not a reward we grant. It is a principle we uphold. It is the soul of our Constitution and the foundation of our legal system. To question it is to chip away at the very scaffolding that holds our democracy upright.
America has long claimed the moral high ground on human rights. We lecture the world about freedom and fairness. Yet, when immigrants arrive—often fleeing conditions we would not wish upon our worst enemies—we hesitate. We quibble. We redraw the moral lines.
But the lines we draw for others become the lines that trap us.
If we allow due process to be optional, subject to politics or prejudice, then we invite other nations to treat us the same way. The world watches what we do, and follows suit. Our treatment of the foreigner becomes the world’s template for treating Americans abroad.
This is not just about law. It’s about legacy. It’s about who we are—and who we’re becoming.
Mr. President, I urge you: do not tiptoe around justice. Do not make it harder for Americans tomorrow by failing to uphold the principles we claim to cherish today. Give due process to all, or risk denying it to yourself when the tables turn.
Would we, as Americans, accept our own Human Rights or right to Due Process being delayed, denied, or questioned in another country? Of course not.
So why is our President now questioning whether immigrants in our nation deserve the same rights?
When we strip due process from others, especially the vulnerable, we set a dangerous precedent—not just for them, but for ourselves. One day, we may find ourselves on foreign soil, hoping for justice, clinging to human dignity. What example will we have set?
Mr. President, please don’t make it harder for us. Uphold due process not as a favor, but as a fundamental principle. Let’s not tiptoe around justice. Let’s lead with it.
As the old adage reminds us: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
By Rev. Renaldo C. McKenzie, Editor-in-Chief, The Neoliberal; President, The Neoliberal Corporation; Author of Neoliberalism
The Neoliberal Post at The Neoliberal is a publication of The Neoliberal Corporation by Renaldo McKenzie
Check out our Store: