As a candidate, Trump declared he would be a dictator on day one and has moved aggressively to make that a reality. The country is accustomed to President Trump making seemingly offhand comments that reveal actual policy positions. If the public response is loud and vociferous in opposition, the President’s press office claims he was only making a joke.

President Trump in a casual aside during the last week’s visit from El Salvador’s President Bukele suggested El Salvador should build more prisons because President Trump was planning to send “home grown” criminals to be imprisoned in El Salvador. To be clear: the President said he would seek to deport American Citizens to be incarcerated in foreign countries. Later, Trump and The White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt reiterated that he is interested in pursuing a plan to do just that.

This is patently unconstitutional and thoroughly illegal, but we now have an administration that absolutely doesn’t respect the rule of law – the bedrock of our democracy and what has made America great. None of this addresses the reality that masked people, without identifying insignia, are snatching people off the streets of our communities. It’s unclear if they have warrants or not, leaving individuals and witnesses with no idea whether someone is being kidnapped or arrested.

While too many people are sanguine about this because they assume the person is being taken into custody appropriately, this is not normal in a democracy. The President’s plan should shake everyone’s sense of security. One day the President might say “criminals” are the target, but the next day his definition might apply to anyone who disagrees with his policies. He has called many of his political opponents criminals – so why not you!

President Trump’s administration has deported hundreds of people designated as “gang members,” without any charges filed or any semblance of due process. This is way beyond a slippery slope – this is a full downhill run. In America, the power resides in the people. All freedom loving Americans – wherever they reside – must call on all elected officials, especially those who control the House of Representatives, U.S. Senate and White House – to make a clear unambiguous statement that they totally oppose unidentifiable masked people pulling individuals off the streets to be removed from the jurisdiction to places where they are isolated from family and attorneys unable to have their rights protected.

Every elected official takes an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States – Today is the day the People must demand that they actually demonstrably do so.