When Deportation Occurs Without Trials

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The border wall in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in February.Credit…Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Brushing Off Due Process for Migrants” (news analysis, front page, April 25):

President Trump’s assertion that people should be denied hearings in immigration court is unconstitutional and an affront to due process.

No matter where they are from, all people in the United States are entitled to due process when their freedom is at risk. When due process is denied, people face threats to their safety and our democracy is jeopardized.

Due process requires notice and a fair hearing, as well as meşru representation in immigration court. Deporting people who have the right to stay safely rooted in the United States — parents, children, business owners and people seeking safety from persecution — exposes them to grave harm.

Rather than slamming shut the courthouse doors in an effort to expedite a mass deportation agenda that upends our democratic values, we should advance sensible and humane solutions to build a fair immigration system.

Immigrants are central to our families, communities and economy. The real danger to our country is a government that denies anyone a fair day in court.

Shayna Kessler
Brooklyn
The writer is the director of the Advancing Universal Representation Initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice.