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President Donald Trump has stirred fresh controversy over his hardline immigration agenda, suggesting in an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press that constitutional due process rights might not apply to all immigrants facing deportation.
In a wide-ranging interview aired Sunday, Trump defended his efforts to implement the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history, a central promise of his 2024 campaign. When pressed by moderator Kristen Welker about whether every person in the U.S. is entitled to due process — as guaranteed by the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment — Trump demurred.
“I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer,” he said. “We’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials. We have thousands of people — some murderers, drug dealers, and some of the worst people on Earth.”
Trump added: “I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it.”
The Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that noncitizens — regardless of legal status — are entitled to basic constitutional protections, including the right to appear before an immigration judge. Trump’s remarks have alarmed civil rights groups and legal scholars, who say they signal a dangerous disregard for the rule of law.
“Even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Welker asked.
“I don’t know,” Trump repeated. “I have brilliant lawyers… and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”
The administration has already been rebuked by the high court in multiple cases. In April, the Supreme Court blocked the deportation of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law the administration has controversially invoked. The justices ruled the men were entitled to due process — something the administration had denied them.
In another case, the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Maryland resident and father of three — to El Salvador was deemed an “administrative error” after the government defied a 2019 order prohibiting his removal. The Supreme Court ordered his return, but Trump said he didn’t know if officials had contacted El Salvador. “You’d have to ask the attorney general,” he said.
Despite legal setbacks, Trump insisted he is following the law as advised by his team. “I’m relying on the attorney general… Because I’m not involved in the legality or the illegality,” he said. “That’s why I have a great DOJ.”
The president also faced questions about his attempt to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status after the school challenged federal restrictions on campus speech. When told it would be illegal for him to direct the IRS to do so, Trump again leaned on his legal team. “They say that we’re allowed to do that, and I’m all for it.”
Civil liberties advocates warn that Trump’s actions could erode core legal protections.
“This is not just about immigration,” said constitutional law professor Angela Ramirez. “It’s about whether the president of the United States respects the Constitution. So far, the answer appears to be no.”
With mounting legal resistance and increased scrutiny of his immigration enforcement tactics, Trump shows no signs of retreating. “We always have to obey the laws,” he said, before suggesting the laws may need to change to match his agenda.
