Anastasia Wilford
SLEC Member
Thank you @Ted Brown for kicking off this conversation, and thank you to everyone who helped to craft this revised resolution: @Jessi Cowart @Kenneth Feagins @Jack Westbrook @Matthew Gibbs @RJ Pase and even non-SLEC members @Nathan Polsky and @Carter Fanning.
This issue is important to me as it has impacted my district directly. After this discussion sparked today, I was made aware that someone in my hometown was deported to El Salvador after getting asylum from Venezuela (coverage on him here). I have also been made aware of votes our candidates have historically been able to count on in my district, that we will lose if we don't make a statement on this issue. And those local connections are only adding to the fact that I think this is the right thing to do. I'll also be taking this resolution to my county, but I hope you will all join me in supporting this resolution that I believe addresses all the concerns I read or that were brought to me while still having the gravity the issue warrants.
With that, I'm seeking cosponsors for a forum vote on the resolution below:
Whereas, individuals have been detained in foreign prisons as a result of actions by the United States government, often without due process or access to a fair legal system;
Whereas, in many such cases, government officials have acknowledged administrative errors or legal missteps, yet have failed to take meaningful steps to retrieve or protect those affected, save a few individuals;
Whereas, it is reprehensible to allow any person to be imprisoned in a foreign country where they are beyond reach of legal protection and without access to justice or remedy;
Whereas, the abandonment of due process in any case—regardless of citizenship, nationality, or political belief—undermines the ideals of liberty and justice that should define the American identity;
Whereas, targeting individuals for detention, removal, or abandonment based on political viewpoints, affiliations, or expediency reflects authoritarian tendencies incompatible with a free society;
Whereas, the use of obscure, outdated, or misapplied laws to justify state actions that violate human rights is a clear abuse of legal authority;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas condemns the detention of any individual in a foreign prison when it results from the failure or refusal of the U.S. government to uphold due process and protect human rights;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas calls for the removal from office of any official who abuses legal mechanisms to justify the denial of human rights or who fails to act in defense of those whose liberties have been trampled under the guise of law;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas declares that the continued abandonment of due process in the name of expediency or political gain constitutes a betrayal of American ideals and the fundamental principles of justice;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas reaffirms its unwavering opposition to the coercive use of government power and its commitment to defending the rights of all individuals—everywhere—against injustice and unlawful imprisonment;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas urges Congress to establish a formal review process for cases involving the abandonment or wrongful detention of individuals abroad.
This issue is important to me as it has impacted my district directly. After this discussion sparked today, I was made aware that someone in my hometown was deported to El Salvador after getting asylum from Venezuela (coverage on him here). I have also been made aware of votes our candidates have historically been able to count on in my district, that we will lose if we don't make a statement on this issue. And those local connections are only adding to the fact that I think this is the right thing to do. I'll also be taking this resolution to my county, but I hope you will all join me in supporting this resolution that I believe addresses all the concerns I read or that were brought to me while still having the gravity the issue warrants.
With that, I'm seeking cosponsors for a forum vote on the resolution below:
Whereas, individuals have been detained in foreign prisons as a result of actions by the United States government, often without due process or access to a fair legal system;
Whereas, in many such cases, government officials have acknowledged administrative errors or legal missteps, yet have failed to take meaningful steps to retrieve or protect those affected, save a few individuals;
Whereas, it is reprehensible to allow any person to be imprisoned in a foreign country where they are beyond reach of legal protection and without access to justice or remedy;
Whereas, the abandonment of due process in any case—regardless of citizenship, nationality, or political belief—undermines the ideals of liberty and justice that should define the American identity;
Whereas, targeting individuals for detention, removal, or abandonment based on political viewpoints, affiliations, or expediency reflects authoritarian tendencies incompatible with a free society;
Whereas, the use of obscure, outdated, or misapplied laws to justify state actions that violate human rights is a clear abuse of legal authority;
Therefore, be it resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas condemns the detention of any individual in a foreign prison when it results from the failure or refusal of the U.S. government to uphold due process and protect human rights;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas calls for the removal from office of any official who abuses legal mechanisms to justify the denial of human rights or who fails to act in defense of those whose liberties have been trampled under the guise of law;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas declares that the continued abandonment of due process in the name of expediency or political gain constitutes a betrayal of American ideals and the fundamental principles of justice;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas reaffirms its unwavering opposition to the coercive use of government power and its commitment to defending the rights of all individuals—everywhere—against injustice and unlawful imprisonment;
Be it further resolved, that the Libertarian Party of Texas urges Congress to establish a formal review process for cases involving the abandonment or wrongful detention of individuals abroad.
