Threat to Suspend Habeas Corpus

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEXTER. Mr. Speaker, I am again coming to the House floor, the people's Chamber, to say: The emergency isn't coming. It is now.

Donald Trump's advisers are threatening to suspend habeas corpus.

Habeas corpus is the constitutional right that protects Americans from being detained without charge, without trial, and without due process.

This isn't some obscure legal debate. Habeas corpus is the bedrock of our freedom. Strip it away, and you strip away the very foundation of our Nation.

Let me be clear: This is authoritarianism in plain sight, a direct assault on the rule of law and on the American people.

To my colleagues in this Chamber: We are not just Representatives of our districts. We are the frontline defenders of our Republic. We cannot merely just watch history unfold, we must shape it.

It is on each and every one of us to tell the truth. Donald Trump is coming for our freedoms. It is on each and every one of us to stand up, speak out, and refuse to be silenced.

My colleagues shouldn't wait for the history books to decide which side they were on. Decide right now.

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