By The Editorial Board
In the midst of a wave of mass deportation policies, the true meaning of due process has been lost. Every person is guaranteed protection from unfair legal action, but the idea of a fair hearing or the opportunity to defend oneself has gone by the wayside with international students caught in the crossfire.
Pay close attention to the wording of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: “No state may deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” This ensures a fair trial to all people, not just citizens.
Read the Fifth Amendment carefully as well: “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
Seems obvious that these constitutional protections apply to all people, and not just to citizens, right?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC, “of course” all people in the United States are entitled to due process, yet the Trump Administration has taken 175 immigration-specific executive actions to back its mass deportation aims. Several of these have impacted college students out of the blue without the opportunity for such due process.
The Waco community had been active in protesting immigration raids and deportations, but Baylor campus has largely been removed from any such protests. This came before the university released a statement warning international students from returning home, and the news that three students had their visas revoked earlier this month.
On Saturday, the Trump administration restored the status of some international students whose visas had abruptly terminated earlier in the month. According to The Texas Tribune, more than 250 university students in Texas saw their status revoked, and some were restored, but there are still policies being developed to resume terminations. At this time, the status of the three Baylor students has been reinstated according to university spokesperson Lori Fogleman.
“Baylor’s International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) team and Center for Global Engagement continue to assist and support our international students and scholars,” Fogleman said. “Who are an essential, vibrant and valued part of our campus community.”
Although there has been a recent relief, the deportation actions won’t simply go away. Roughly 5% of Baylor’s student population is constantly anxious about their visa status. While there have been no political protests, such as the one at Harvard that led to Trump threatening to no longer grant visas to the university, Texas’s 17.9% foreign-born population will make the state a battleground for the policies.
University students are not getting the rights they deserve. This is an unfair situation for good people searching for education to better their lives. Promoting the idea of due process and staying on top of recent news will better support fellow students who are in a constant state of panic. Politics and personal feelings aside, we need to uphold the Constitution and allow due process to take its course. The least we can do as fellow students is show our support and constantly be a shoulder to lean on during difficult times.
