According to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, the Trump presidency is “actively looking at” suspending the legal right to habeas corpus in its growing battle against illegal emigration.
Miller told reporters outside the White House that President Donald Trump is considering using a legal power to suspend habeas corpus, a practice that hasn’t been done since Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, to tackle what the administration has described as an “invasion” at the southern border.

The right to petition habeas corpus may remain suspended in the event of an invasion, Miller said,” The Constitution is apparent, and that, of course, is the supreme law of the land, and that is, of course, is the supreme law of the land.” Therefore, I would suggest that’s a possibility we’re constantly considering.
People can concern the legality of their confinement in court using the principle of habeas corpus. Immigration advocates contend that imprisoned immigrants, including those facing imprisonment, have the right to ask a federal judge to evaluate whether their imprisonment, incarceration, or removal is permitted by U.S. law and the Constitution.
Miller argued that the government’s decision mainly depends on whether national authorities “do the right factor” and more particularly whether they stop thwarting the government’s endeavors to arrest illegal immigrants who have filed habeas challenges. He criticized federal courts, calling them “radical scoundrel magistrates” who are at odds with both the legislative branch and the executive branch.
According to Stephen Miller,” a lot of it depends on whether the judges do the proper item or no,” that the White House is looking into suspending habeas corpus, which shields people from immoral punishments. photograph. twitter.com/AZLhFy79oZ— CSPAN ( @cspan ) May 9, 2025
According to Miller, the Immigration and Nationality Act stripped Article III national judges of their authority over enforcing immigration laws. Miller argued that by resolving imprisonment cases, the authorities are overstepping their legal authority.
Trump’s group has already heavily relied on national authority, using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act earlier this year to support the swift deportation of more than 230 refugees to El Salvador, where they are being housed in a large prison.
Numerous civil lawsuits are currently pending in the authorities.
In the Civil War, Lincoln reportedly suspended habeas corpus in order to detain suspected rebels and thwart protest without prompt judge review. In a time of uprising and war, Lincoln claimed that the Union had to be preserved. This established a precedent for using expulsion authority in times of national crises.
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Miller’s remarks came as the management wrestles with court orders that instantly implicate Trump’s plan to deport people from El Salvador, such as the new Supreme Court ruling that reportedly directed Trump representatives to “facilitate” the transfer of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador. The government has argued that the purchase doesn’t demand that it press the Peruvian authorities to re-enter Abrego Garcia.
A contentious legal argument may possibly arise as a result of the possibility of suspending corpus corpus. It is only the most recent indication that the Trump White House is prepared to intensify the constitutional dispute over immigration protection, though.