The United States government incarcerated my parents and grandparents during World War II. They were American citizens of Japanese descent who were forced from their homes, stripped of their dignity and imprisoned behind barbed wire. They suffered this treatment not because of their actions, but because of their ancestry. Wartime policies like Executive Order 9066 and the Alien Enemies Act allowed the government to lock up more than 125,000 Japanese Americans based on suspicion and ancestry alone. No charges. No due process. No justice.
Now, 80 years later, we are watching history repeat itself.
Today, people like my family — people who have not been charged with any crime — are again being rounded up without due process. President Trump has revived the Alien Enemies Act as part of a broader push to consolidate executive power, bypass the courts and remake the presidency in his own image.
The Supreme Court reminded us of what the Constitution demands: all people on U.S. soil — citizen or not — are entitled to due process.
Hundreds of noncitizens have been deported under this law to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison, a place known for its inhumane and brutal conditions. The Trump administration alleges that all of these men are criminals, but a “60 Minutes” investigation could not find criminal records for 75% of them.
Those without criminal records include Andry Hernandez Romero — a gay makeup artist who applied for asylum after facing discrimination in his native Venezuela. His supposed connection to a violent gang largely rested on the fact he had a handful of crown tattoos. But his friends and family say the tattoos simply reflect his deep affection for his hometown’s Three Kings Day festival. Even Joe Rogan, the provocative podcast host and Trump supporter, was appalled at Romero’s detention and called for his release.
These people are being sent to a hellish place, without even the chance to defend themselves. And instead of expressing remorse or concern, President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are celebrating it. Noem, wearing a $50,000 Rolex, posed in front of shackled prisoners like they were big game trophies. It is inhumane and illegal.
Last week, the Supreme Court reminded us of what the Constitution demands: All people on U.S. soil — citizen or not — are entitled to due process. Justices from Antonin Scalia to Ruth Bader Ginsburg have long agreed on this principle. Reflecting that ideological consensus, the court unanimously ruled that noncitizens deported under the Alien Enemies Act must be informed when it is being used against them and granted hearings before removal.
But let’s be clear: This ruling was necessary only because the Trump administration ignored those principles in the first place. And while the court affirmed those rights, it also continues to allow the Trump administration to use the Alien Enemies Act. That law, written in 1798 amid paranoia and fear, is a vestige of a shameful past. It was wrong when it was used against Japanese Americans like my parents in the 1940s. It is wrong now.
The American people must not look away or let this government undertake these actions in our name. The danger is not theoretical. The Supreme Court also ordered that the White House “facilitate” the return to the U.S. of another detainee at the prison, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the administration admitted was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. But instead of complying, the Trump administration has defied the Supreme Court’s order. Adding insult to injury, it just rolled out the red carpet for El Salvador’s authoritarian leader, Nayib Bukele — who is also refusing to assist in bringing Mr. Abrego Garcia home. This is more than a deportation scandal. We are on the edge of a full-fledged constitutional crisis, engineered by Trump to test the limits of presidential power and the resolve of our democracy. The American people must not look away or let this government undertake these actions in our name. We cannot allow fear to override due process or let suspicion stand in for justice. We cannot normalize cruelty, lawlessness or the spectacle of human beings used and abused for political gain. When the government abandons constitutional rights for some, it endangers those rights for all. I know what happens when that line is crossed. My family lived it. And I will not stand by while it happens again.
Rep. Mark Takano
Mark Takano represents California's 39th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. 
