OPINION:
The latest decision by a federal judge to order the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from custody is yet another example of how our immigration system is being undermined from within (“Court orders DHS to release illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” Web, Dec. 11).
This case should never have reached this point. Mr. Abrego Garcia entered the United States illegally — an act that has long been recognized as grounds for immediate deportation. That is neither complicated nor new.
The Trump administration bears responsibility for allowing this situation to drag on. Instead of exercising the clear authority held by the president and secretary of state to deport individuals with no legal right to remain here, the government kept Mr. Abrego Garcia in custody for months while pursuing trafficking charges that could take years to resolve.
Meanwhile, the straightforward remedy — removal — was ignored. Mr. Abrego Garcia should already be in Uganda.
Even more troubling is the pattern emerging in the judiciary. Too many judges are issuing rulings that stretch or exceed their jurisdictions, and these decisions increasingly appear political rather than legal. When judges knowingly overstep their authority, they erode public trust and weaken the very institutions they are sworn to uphold.
If decisions like this continue unchecked, the consequences for our judicial and criminal justice systems will be severe. Mr. Abrego Garcia has become a national symbol of the left. If he is not deported promptly, the immigration reforms and enforcement commitments made by the president will suffer dramatically.
Fair or not, this case will be cited as precedent and used to challenge future high‑visibility deportation efforts. Allowing it to drift into years of litigation sends exactly the wrong message.
The Supreme Court should not remain silent. It should issue a clear warning that judicial overreach — especially in matters of national sovereignty and immigration enforcement — carries consequences. No judge should feel free to disregard the law without accountability.
Our immigration system is already strained. Allowing political calculations to override clear statutory authority only makes it worse. It is time for the administration to enforce the law decisively and the judiciary to remember its proper role.
GARY N. DARBY
Mesa, Arizona
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