Camas resident Anthony Teso says illegal immigrants are protected by the U.S. Constitution

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Do illegal immigrants have constitutional rights? Yes, immigrants are protected by the U.S. Constitution. Key provisions, such as due process and equal protection under the law, apply to all persons, including both documented and undocumented immigrants. 

This means that all the rights granted to citizens in the U.S. Constitution are also given to immigrants. Key provisions, such as due process and equal protection under the law, apply to all persons, including both documented and undocumented immigrants. 

We are protected from illegal search and seizure, and so are immigrants. We are accorded due process, so are immigrants; we have a right to an attorney, so are immigrants; we have a right to a hearing, so are immigrants. When we curtail one group’s rights we leave open the door to losing our rights too.

Anthony Teso
Camas

---

Also read:

• 
  Opinion: IBR’s evasive, misleading and dishonest excuses for higher cost
  Joe Cortright argues the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has withheld detailed cost estimates while offering contradictory explanations for rising costs tied to the I-5 Bridge project.
• 
  Opinion: The limits for drug-impaired driving
  Target Zero Manager Doug Dahl explains how Washington law defines drug-impaired driving and how officers are trained to recognize impairment beyond alcohol limits.
• 
  Opinion: ‘Please make your voice heard by taking my legislative priorities survey’
  Rep. John Ley invites Clark County residents to share their views by participating in a legislative priorities survey during the 2026 session.
• 
  POLL: Do the proposed changes to the Clark County Council’s Rules of Procedure suggest the council lacked authority in 2025?
  A new reader poll asks whether proposed changes to the Clark County Council’s Rules of Procedure indicate the council lacked clear authority during a 2025 board removal.
• 
  Letter: ‘HSD needs to give a detailed line-item accounting of where the last levy went, and of how they plan to use this one’
  Randall Schultz-Rathbun urges Hockinson School District to provide detailed, transparent accounting of past and proposed levy spending before asking voters for additional funds.