After the Oct. 31 terrorist attack that killed eight bikers in downtown Manhattan, Trump has threatened to send Sayfullo Saipov, the alleged terrorist, to the American military prison base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This would be the first case where a terrorist who committed a crime on American soil would be sent to Guantanamo Bay.  This attack has left Americans wondering what this means with respect to the country’s justice system.

Trump held the immigration system accountable for allowing Saipov’s entrance into the U.S. Freshman Leo Finkelstein spoke on the issue: “The dangerous man who committed the crime should be punished severely, no matter where he is sent.”  

On the night the incident occurred, President Trump expressed his views by sending a message on Twitter declaring that the suspect should be executed. The President’s tweet stated, “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!”

Trump’s action breaks from presidential precedent, which normally calls for the president to abstain from commentary on pending criminal cases because this leaves the accused at an extreme disadvantage and most likely leads to an unfair trial. This expectation stems from the belief that in the U.S. justice is system, one is believed innocent until proven guilty. Trump, however, did not follow traditional guidelines.

While other debates in the White House, like the one on gun control after the Las Vegas massacre, were moved to the side, Trump anxiously wanted to discuss the controversy of immigration. Trump pressed Congress to eliminate the Visa Lottery Program that enabled the driver to enter the country. His stance on immigration was one of the major themes of his election campaign. Sophomore Danny Dalrymple said, “Trump’s biggest election campaign topic was about building a wall to keep out illegal immigrants, so it’s not shocking that this is his opinion of what should be done to the terrorist.”

The strong opinions on this issue from many different groups of people are based on the fact that America itself was created by immigration. Many parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were welcomed into this country with open arms promising them “the American Dream” or a better life for them and their family.  Now, critics argue that there is a President who would like to stop all that, at least for the time being. Trump’s believes, however, that “if we save American lives, American jobs and American futures, together we can save America itself.”

Freshman John Bertolini states, “The President’s views on immigration are not based on racism, as per common belief. Trump’s ideas on a more secure border has the best in mind for the United States. Trump’s stance on immigration involves defending and giving American citizens more chances and opportunities for financial growth without worry about money going to someone who hasn’t come to the country legally like past waves of immigration.” Perhaps that’s where the real differences in opinion lie. There is more to the immigration question than the business and terrorist side of it, but some argue that President Trump is not paying much attention to it, as he is still in favor of ending the Visa program. It remains to be seen how this will all play out in the court of public opinion.