04/22/2025
The U.S. Constitution protects all persons—not just citizens?
Could that mean immigrants, even undocumented ones or those accused of crimes, still have rights under the law?
Here are 5 key Supreme Court cases that you may want to read:
1. Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356 (1886) – Non-citizens are protected by the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
2. Wong Wing v. U.S., 163 U.S. 228 (1896) – Even undocumented immigrants could not be sentenced to hard labor without a jury trial.
3. Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982) – States can’t deny public education to undocumented children.
4. Zadvydas v. Davis, 533 U.S. 678 (2001) – Immigrants with past convictions still have due process rights; the gov’t can’t detain them indefinitely.
5. Padilla v. Kentucky, 559 U.S. 356 (2010) – Immigrants must be told if a guilty plea could lead to deportation.
You don’t have to take my word for it, read the cases yourself.
