“We the People,” the opening words of the Preamble to the United States Constitution, signifies that the power of the U.S. government originates from the citizens, not the government itself.
And from the U.S. Declaration of Independence: “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the Consent of the Governed.” This is the basis for a government’s legitimacy and moral right to exercise power.
America embodies dedication to due process, equal protection under the law, and respect for judicial authority. This is not a Republican or Democratic idea, but the bedrock of our democracy.
Citizens are rightly alarmed by recent abuse of power. Unidentified masked men kidnap people off the streets. People are secretly deported to a foreign concentration camp, for which we pay. Congress did not appropriate these funds.
Andry Hernandez Romero is a gay hairstylist who legally sought asylum in our country. With no formal hearing, he was sent to prison in El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia came to this country as a teenager, fleeing the gangs that terrorized his hometown. Granted protected status, he was here legally. He was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador.
We have established procedures of due process. Judges determine who should be deported. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment.
If these abuses to our Constitution are allowed to stand, this can happen to any of us.
Americans say that we do not consent to extrajudicial deportations.
We do not consent to the executive branch defying the Supreme Court
We do not consent to paying for a foreign concentration camp.
We do not consent to cruel and unusual punishment.
We do not consent to Congress refusing to be a check and balance on the executive branch.
We the People reclaim our consent to be governed.
Mary DaSilva, Logan
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