Trump Condones Unlawful Search and Seizure of American Citizens

 

Donald Trump seems to be a proponent of Constitutional rights for himself, but not for other Americans.  Take for example his ban on Muslims, that was unconstitutional.  His ban of transgenders in the military was unconstitutional.  He has advocated restrictions on the First Amendment.  Trump has advocated torture and killing of terrorists and their families, which would be a direct violation of the 8th Amendment.  Trump displayed his lack of understanding of the Constitution when he said he loved Article 12 of the Constitution, which was funny since there are only seven Articles.

Trump’s pardon of Sheriff Arapio was proof that Trump not only has no regard for the U.S. Constitution, but that he rewards those who publicly, knowingly, and repeatedly,violate it.

It would be one thing if Trump merely displayed a lack of knowledge of the Constitution. Ignorance can be corrected. However, the problem is not just that Trump is ignorant of the Constitution; it’s that he doesn’t care. His political philosophy, to the extent that he has one, is the demagoguery that the Founders specifically designed the Constitution to protect us against.

Trump has done it again.   The Trump administration has engaged in an unconstitutional practice of searching without a warrant the phones and laptops of Americans who are stopped at the border.Ten U.S. citizens and one lawful permanent resident sued the Department of Homeland Security asserting that the searches and prolonged confiscation of their electronic devices violate privacy and free speech protections of the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit comes as the number of searches of electronic devices has surged in recent years, alarming civil rights advocates.  U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported in April that searches increased from 8,500 in fiscal year 2015 to about 19,000 in fiscal year 2016. The agency has conducted nearly 15,000 in the first half of fiscal year 2017.

The suit,  is being brought by travelers including a military veteran, a NASA engineer, two journalists and a computer programmer. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, who are representing the travelers, said that several of the plaintiffs are Muslim or minorities.  Suhaib Allababidi, a U.S. citizen who lives in Texas and a plaintiff in the case. He was stopped by Customs and Border Patrol on Jan. 21 at the Dallas airport after returning from a business trip to Dubai.  Allababidi said he declined to unlock his personal phone for the officers after allowing them to search his separate business phone.

The officers confiscated both his phones, Allababidi said, and returned his business phone to him two months later. The government has still not returned his personal phone after more than seven months, he said.

Usually law enforcement is required to obtain a warrant before it can search an American’s electronic devices.  However there is an exception that allows federal authorities to conduct searches within 100 miles (160 km) of a U.S. border without a warrant.  That includes searches without warrants of US citizens.  It is clear that Muslim citizens are being racially profiled at the border and Trump makes no apologies for violating the U.S. Constitution.

Trump’s primary obligation as President is to preserve, protect, and defend the US Constitution.

It’s clear that Donald Trump has repeatedly, publicly, and apologetically violated the Constitution.  His failure to uphold the American ideals set forth in the Constitution are more offensive than his collusion with Russia.  I don’t care the reason cited for his removal from office.  It is imperative to the American way of life that he be removed, and NOW!