Thanks But No Thanks

Senator Feinstein understood the serious problems with the indefinite detention provisions in the 2012 NDAA and took immediate action, introducing the Due Process Guarantee Act (S.2003) on the very same day that the NDAA passed the Senate in December. Her bill says that citizens and legal permanent residents apprehended in the U.S. may not be detained without charge or trail.

We have to thank her for her quick response and leadership on the issue but she has created a serious problem that could have far-reaching consequences:

- The Constitution guarantees the right to trial by jury to everyone in the United States, not just citizens and legal permanent residents. The bill perverts the clear intent of the framers to protect all persons in the U.S.

- In her quest to protect citizens, Senator Feinstein has thrown everyone else under the bus, denying due process to people who are legally in the country on temporary visas, or people without documentation. If her bill passes, what are the chances we could ever get another bill through Congress that protects non-citizens?

- The bill sets a terrible precedence by creating a two-tiered justice system, turning the right to due process into a privilege available only to those Congress deems worthy.

Tell Senator Feinstein to include everyone, not just citizens, in her Due Process Guarantee Act and any amendments to the 2013 NDAA.