Until recently, I assumed that the rule of law was firmly rooted in the political cultures of the English-speaking countries, uniquely heir to the tradition of the common law, Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights of 1689, and numerous precedents which together are the shared birthright of our several countries. A key principle of this heritage is that the law applies to our rulers as much as to ordinary citizens, who enjoy constitutional protections against abuse by government officials. Such protections apply as well to non-citizens who have entered the country legally. Moreover, even illegal immigrants must be treated in accordance with their shared humanity. How do we know who is who? Great care needs to be taken to distinguish rightly between legal residents and illegal immigrants. Cutting corners for a supposedly greater good inevitably leads to miscarriage of justice.
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