Immigration officials, their backs turned to hide their identities, pose with an Australian citizen who faces possible deportation back to his home country. A list of “sanctuary” jurisdictions accused of failing to cooperate with immigration arrests, including the state of Colorado, was taken down after protests about its accuracy. (Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

As long as the United States is going to maintain immigration laws, it’s a given that unauthorized people will be subject to arrest and deportation. This fact is not terribly controversial.

That said, there should be enormous controversy over the way federal officials are now carrying out this work.

Simply put: we don’t have secret police in the United States. Or at least we shouldn’t.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to describe Trump administration immigration enforcement actions in any other way.

Time and again in recent months – here in North Carolina and around the nation — masked individuals in unmarked vehicles have swooped in and spirited people away to undisclosed locations.

And whatever the alleged status or crime of these arrested people – this is just plain wrong and un-American.

The bottom line: It’s a fundamental premise of the U.S. Constitution that no person in our country can be deprived of liberty without due process. When government starts evading this guarantee – even for non-citizens — it places all of our freedoms in grave jeopardy.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.