Supreme Court Slaps Down Trump’s Deportation Overreach: Why Due Process Matters
A unanimous 9-0 ruling protects a legal immigrant’s rights, reminding conservatives that ignoring the Constitution to “fix” immigration risks liberty for all.
Imagine yourself driving down A1A in Palm Beach County, enjoying a nice relaxing drive along the ocean when suddenly you are detained without cause, taken away from your family and shipped like cargo to a foreign prison and told ‘it’s all a mistake’ — but yet the U.S. government shrugs claiming, it can’t fix the situation they created. That is what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man legally living in the U.S., deported to El Salvador’s brutal CECOT prison designed for the worst of the worst of our society despite a court order for his return. Many Americans are angry at the judge who gave that court order. What sense does any of this make?
Well, the case quickly came before the U.S. Supreme Court, which, in a 9-0 ruling on April 10, 2025, ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” his return, rejecting Trump’s claim that his Executive Order trumps the judicial branch and the U.S. Constitution. It’s pretty damning to have a 9-0 decision where both the conservatives and liberal justices come together, hopefully helping some in our nation take a step back and give some thought to the immigration debate.
While conservatives may view this ruling as a setback to Trump’s immigration moves, as a Libertarian, I see a victory for the rule of law, reminding my conservative friends that the ends do not justify the means. How we achieve our goals is just as important as what we achieve; this is America, after all.
As I’ve mentioned before, Libertarians are not in any particular political camp outside of the freedom camp, and we call balls and strikes based on right and wrong, not political affiliation or political spin from MSNBC, Fox News, NewsMax, or CNN.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran migrant, has been a legal immigrant with a work permit since 2019 and is married to a U.S. citizen, and they have three U.S.-citizen children. He should have been protected from deportation, but ICE rounded him up, alleging he had MS-13 gang affiliations (never proven in any way), and he was deported on March 15, 2025, to an El Salvadorian mega-prison after the Trump administration ignored a court order to keep him in the U.S. for “due process.” While the Trump administration called it an “administrative error,” it also argued in the courts that it could not return Garcia, citing executive power over foreign affairs. A flimsy argument at best, which most Americans should have been outraged by, but many were cheering the administration on and mocking the original judge in the case.
This Supreme Court decision has less to do with immigration than our constitutional legal process in this country. Garcia was denied due process here in the United States, and in the government’s zeal on its crackdown on illegal immigrants, it didn’t seem to care if it ignored the U.S. Constitution.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why others cannot see what I see so clearly: that power without accountability does nothing but breed abuse, no matter who is in charge; sadly, we see that with most presidential administrations. But yet, depending upon who is in office, the opposing “team” seems to put on its blinders. It’s weird, frankly.
My conservative friends often argue that strong immigration enforcement protects national security. And that is a fair argument to make, border control is a legitimate debate to have, and that does not mean we can skirt the U.S. Constitution and court orders from judges we do not like, demonizing them, while a legal immigrant in our country is having their basic rights violated—the cost outweighs the gain, for us all.
Garcia was not a criminal; he is a husband, a worker, here legally, doing everything he is supposed to do, legally; precisely what my conservative friends cheer for legal immigration. This is an opportunity for many in this country to step back this weekend, turn off their television, and think this through with their own moral compass.
I should note that the SCOTUS decision is not “soft” on immigration; it is tough on accountability. No one gets a free pass, not even a president, which is why we have three branches of government. We would expect nothing less when it comes to protecting the Second Amendment or our free speech rights.
Garcia’s case shows the sloppy execution of these immigration roundups. If you are going forward with this immigration policy, then the Trump administration must do it right or not do it at all. This case is a wake-up call: good intentions do not excuse bad methods. There is a difference between obstruction and protecting what makes America great.
You may not agree with every libertarian stand, but at least hear us out. If we cheer for power grabs when it suits us, we’re handing a loaded gun to the next administration, which may not be so judicious. Let’s demand better policies that are smart and just.