Judge Harvie Wilkinson, Abrego Garcia case April 17 2025: It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.
British Cockney “Right then, sometimes it’s a real faff tryin’ to get to the bleedin’ ‘eart of things, innit? But not this time, mate. The gov’ment’s actin’ like it’s got the right to ship folks off—proper residents, mind you—to some dodgy nick overseas, no trial, no nothin’. Due process? Gawn, like yesterday’s curry. And now they’re sayin’ just ’cause they ain’t holdin’ the poor sods no more, they’re off the hook? That’s not just barmy—it’s a slap in the gob to anyone wot still believes in a bit o’ liberty, even if they’ve never set foot near a judge.”
Kindergarten Teacher “Okay, sweethearts, listen close. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what’s really going on. But not this time—this one’s easy to understand. Some grown-ups in charge—people in the government—are saying they can take people who live here and send them far, far away to another country, and put them in a big, scary jail. And they’re not even giving those people a chance to say, ‘Hey! That’s not fair!’ Now remember how we talk about being fair in our classroom? Everyone gets a turn, everyone gets to share, and no one gets left out? Grown-ups are supposed to follow those rules too, especially when they make really big decisions. But these grown-ups are saying, ‘Well, they’re not with us anymore, so it’s not our problem.’ And that’s just not fair. Even if you don’t know all the big rules or go to court, you still know what’s right in your heart. And this? This doesn’t feel right at all.”
American Evangelical preacher“Now brothers and sisters, let me speak plain, as the prophets did of old. There are times when the truth is veiled, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, ‘through a glass, darkly.’ But not today. No, today the truth stands clear as a trumpet on Zion. Our own government, yes, this very land we love, is claimin’ the right to cast aside its people—born of this soil—and toss ’em into foreign dungeons, stripped of the due process that our forefathers fought and bled for. This due process is no man-made trinket—it is the foundation, the rock, as Jesus said in Matthew 7, upon which we must build. And now, having handed these souls over, they wash their hands like Pilate and say, ‘We are no longer responsible.’ Oh Lord! This ain’t just a legal travesty—it’s a moral abomination! It ought to shake the conscience of every judge, every citizen, every God-fearing soul who holds liberty dear!”
Valley Girl “Okay, like, yeah, sometimes it’s totally hard to, like, get to the actual issue or whatever? But not this time, no way. Like, the government is literally saying it’s okay to, like, ship people off—like actual Americans—to some random foreign prison without even a hint of due process. I mean, hello? That is, like, the entire point of the Constitution. And now they’re all, ‘Oh, well we don’t have them anymore, so like, not our problem?’ Umm, excuse me? That is so not okay. Honestly, even someone who’s never set foot in a courtroom can, like, totally tell that’s a major freedom fail. I’m, like, shook.”