Resolution
OPPOSITION TO THE UNLAWFUL DETENTION AND DEPORTATION OF INDIVIDUALS LEGALLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES
WHEREAS the Trump administration has repeatedly weaponized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to target individuals for their political expression, detain legal residents without judicial oversight, and obstruct access to legal representation—actions that constitute clear violations of the First Amendment (freedom of speech), Fourth Amendment (protection against unlawful searches and seizures), Fifth Amendment (right to due process), and Fourteenth Amendment (equal protection under the law); and
WHEREAS multiple lawful permanent residents and other individuals legally present in the United States—including Mahmoud Khalil, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and Rumeysa Ozturk—have been wrongfully apprehended, held without judicial warrants or charges, denied access to counsel, subjected to prolonged detention and forced removal, or extrajudicially transferred into a prison abroad without due process, often in retaliation for peaceful political expression, reflecting a disturbing pattern of constitutional and human rights violations by immigration
enforcement authorities; and
WHEREAS the detention of lawful permanent residents and other individuals who are legally present in the United States without judicial warrants or formal charges and the use of immigration enforcement to silence protected political speech and intimidate communities is a dangerous escalation of the erosion of democratic norms and the rule of law;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Riverside County Democratic Party unequivocally condemns the misuse of immigration enforcement to detain and deport individuals who are lawfully present in the United States and simply exercising their constitutionally protected rights particularly when such actions are politically motivated or conducted without due process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Riverside County Democratic Party calls on all elected officials, including members of Congress from California, to publicly denounce these unconstitutional actions, demand immediate oversight and transparency from immigration enforcement agencies, and work to ensure the rights of all individuals—regardless of immigration status—are fully protected under the Constitution.
Author(s): Anyse Smith, AD-47; Nathan Kempe, AD-58; Francisco Ramos, AD-47; Edison Gomez-Krauss, AD-36
