President Donald Trump, sitting inside his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, looked straight into the camera and said, “I don’t know,” when asked if the Constitution applies to immigrants facing deportation.
The comment came during an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, where Trump admitted he isn’t sure if due process matters when it comes to carrying out his massive immigration crackdown. He told moderator Kristen Welker, “I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”
According to NBC, the interview focused heavily on Trump’s push for what he’s repeatedly described as the largest deportation operation in American history, a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign. The administration is pressuring courts to let them kick out immigrants accused of ties to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang—without letting them speak to a judge first.
Trump says courts slow him down
When asked whether he agrees with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said every person in the country is entitled to due process, Trump gave no clear answer.
Kristen tried again and pointed to the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees no person—not just citizens—can be deprived of life or freedom without due process. Trump shrugged that off too.
“It might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,” he said. “We have thousands of people that are—some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”
He added, “I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it.” When Kristen asked if that means the president doesn’t have to uphold the Constitution, he answered again, “I don’t know,” then pointed to his legal team. “I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”
But the Supreme Court has already ruled three separate times that the administration must provide basic due process, including the right to appear before an immigration judge. These judges work for the Justice Department, not the courts, but still count as a legal safeguard.
Even so, the administration has gone after an old wartime law to sidestep those protections. Using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, Trump’s team tried to fast-track deportations for alleged members of Tren de Aragua.
That law had only been used during declared wars, but the administration now argues that the gang is basically an invading foreign force tied to the Venezuelan government. That argument didn’t hold up in court.
On April 19, just hours after buses were spotted heading toward a Texas airport, the Supreme Court stepped in to stop those deportations. Men on those buses said they never got to explain or deny gang involvement before being detained.
One of the biggest cases involved Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who lived in Maryland with his wife and kids. He was accused of being in MS-13, even though his wife and lawyer deny that claim. Worse, a 2019 ruling had already banned his deportation to El Salvador. Still, Trump’s administration put him on a plane and sent him back.
Officials later said it was an “administrative error.” The Supreme Court ordered the government to “facilitate” Kilmar’s return so he could present his case. When Kristen asked if the U.S. is working with El Salvador to bring him back, Trump said, “I don’t know. You’d have to ask the attorney general that question.”
Trump denied any violation of the court’s order. “I’m relying on the attorney general of the United States, Pam Bondi, who’s very capable, doing a great job,” he said. “I’m not involved in the legality or the illegality. I have lawyers to do that, and that’s why I have a great DOJ.”
He added that they might return to the Supreme Court for more answers. “We may do that. I was asking about that. We may do that.”
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