“The rule of law is not optional,” Issue One says amid growing threat of constitutional crisis

In response to escalating tensions between the Trump administration and judiciary over the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador, Issue One’s Vice President of Advocacy Alix Fraser released the following statement:

“The United States is a nation of laws. Our Founders created a system to reject the whims of tyrants and ensure that the rule of law was the cornerstone of American government.

“The facts of this case are not in dispute: The U.S. government illegally deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, and the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the United States must facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. As officials construe their own interpretation of the decision, we are calling on Chief Justice John Roberts to take the extraordinary but necessary step to clarify precisely what the Court’s ruling compels the government to do. The Court cannot leave any room for misinterpretation. And no matter how inconvenient or politically fraught, the executive branch must comply with the judiciary’s ruling. This is the foundation of our constitutional system of checks and balances: No branch stands above the others.

“The rule of law is not optional — it is essential to our democracy.”