We follow the rule of law in this country. The law is our king. The law is there for everyone – even for those we do not like and those we find disgusting. We can hope that the law locks some people away but we cannot hope that we lock people away without due process. This is one of the things that makes our country better than many around the globe – I’m thinking about Ethiopia since I have some experience there. While there is a facade of democratic government, it’s really just who has more and bigger guns that rule. The rule of law left that country some time ago.
Sure, skipping over some laws may make some things easier. Take the deportation Saturday night of the so called Venezuela gang members. Assuming they were horrible people who are, as it was stated by the administration, drug dealers, rapist, murderers and thieves, we can say that we don’t want that type of people in our country. We can say that it is a good thing they are gone. We can say, skipping over some laws to get these people out of our country makes our country safer, so it’s ok.
But we would be wrong.
Not necessarily wrong that our country is safer but wrong in the notion that we are better off by skipping over laws. We are not better off. The administration could be called geniuses for choosing to exercise the power of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on such an unpopular and undesirable population. After all, it is hard to defend the actions of violent offenders. This strategy allows the administration and their followers to shift the argument away from the rule of law toward the “they raped a little girl” and this raises emotions. Everyone sympathizes with victims families. Everyone will support that acts of rape and murder should be punished. Everyone will acknowledge that such acts are thoroughly disgusting. However, we must hold on to what made our country great from our beginning to now – the rule of law is our king.
This is the same feelings I have about Mahmoud Khalil. I have no idea what he has or hasn’t done. I know what I have read and that he exercised his right to protest. He may have done other things. I am uncertain if he voiced support for Hamas or not. Some said he did, others say he didn’t. To me, that’s not really the question. The question is are we, the United States government, following the rule of law in the actions we are taking with Khalil. What are the charges against him – the real, argue in court charges? Again, it was “brilliant” that he was chosen to test the limits because it is “easy” to have people support deportation for someone that allegedly supports a terrorist organization. It doesn’t make me comfortable that the government started by saying he violated his student visa and then, when told by his wife that he wasn’t on a student visa but was a permanent resident (green card), that the reason for picking him up and taking him from New York to Louisiana changed. But, again…state and file the charges if you have them.
We have to follow the rule of law.
We can be disgusted by the person or people. We can be disgusted by what the person or people say. We can agree that certain types of behaviors need punishing and part of that punishment can be deportation. But we have to make sure that what we are alleging is true and provable. We lose ourselves if we don’t. We don’t need to pick up our pitchforks, become a mob and storm neighborhoods.
We have to follow the rule of law…even, and maybe especially, when we are disgusted.
MattMunnell.com 