RE: Erosion of America’s Moral Credibility

In general, sending American citizens to a maximum security prison in El Salvador would be excessive.

In particular, we aren't just talking about any ordinary American. If they are affiliated with any of the international gangs, I could see how that would be appropriate. If they are in prison in the United States or El Salvador, I don't see that it makes much difference where they are kept. The distinction is that these gangs are terroristic in nature. When they target you, they don't just kill you, they also target your family, friends, or others who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Nobody is safe from them. They terrorize everybody.

I'd be less inclined to send out a domestic gang member.

I'm also sympathetic to people who are mistakenly identified as gang members. I am well aware that the legal process can go wrong by imprisoning people who are innocent. This is why I don't give too much weight to "due process". Due process can also convict innocent people. In fact, you should want people to be convicted without due process, when required by law, as it can be appealed and overturned. It's much harder to be set free when you were convicted with all due process. Anybody sent to El Salvador by mistake is tragic. One can only hope that a good attorney can get them released.

We must also be careful about having false compassion. We can't have more sympathy for criminals than for their victims. So when you ask about deporting Americans, are you asking about people who commit or participate in horrendous crimes, often multiple times? What can you do with people like that? One can only hope that they come to regret their actions and learn to be better people. But that will have to be between them and God, because they certainly have not proven that they can be trusted amongst humans.