Vox
June 17, 2026
Congressional Candidate on Absolute Opposition to Deportations
TL;DR
Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier defends her position that all deportations are wrong, arguing that deporting people after criminal punishment constitutes unconstitutional double jeopardy regardless of citizenship status.
Key Takeaways
- 1Avila Chevalier maintains her stance that all deportations are wrong, even for those convicted of crimes
- 2She distinguishes between administrative violations (illegal entry) and criminal convictions, but opposes deportation in both cases
- 3She argues that deporting someone after they've served criminal time amounts to double punishment not based on the original crime
- 4She frames deportation as discriminatory because it applies punishment based on where someone was born, violating equality principles
- 5She contends that subjecting immigrants to both criminal and immigration detention systems violates constitutional protections against double jeopardy
Notable Quotes
“That phrase, yes. I still believe that all deportations are wrong.”
— Darializa Avila Chevalier
“To subject someone who has committed a crime to both a criminal system and then additionally to an immigration system that also detains them in the very same facilities that criminal people who are convicted of criminal convictions are also held, right? And then deported and ripped away from everything they know and love, that is also punishment.”
— Darializa Avila Chevalier
“If we truly believe that double jeopardy is something that is unconstitutional, something that is against the principles of equality in this country. We cannot subject people to that on the basis of where they were born.”
— Darializa Avila Chevalier
Chapters
1. Opening Question on Deportation Stance
Interviewer asks about Avila Chevalier's tweet stating 'all deportation is wrong' and its implications for congressional politics, noting that even some Democrats may not fully agree.
2. Clarifying Position on All Deportations
Avila Chevalier reaffirms her belief that all deportations are wrong, establishing this as her clear position regardless of context.
3. The Criminal Conviction Question
Interviewer challenges whether this position extends to those convicted of crimes. Avila Chevalier confirms it does and begins explaining her reasoning.
4. Double Punishment and Double Jeopardy Argument
Avila Chevalier argues that deporting someone after criminal punishment constitutes double punishment—once through the criminal system and again through deportation—which violates constitutional principles of equality and double jeopardy protections.
5. Discrimination Based on Birthplace
She contends that subjecting people to additional punishment (deportation) based solely on where they were born, rather than on the crime itself, is discriminatory and violates fundamental equality principles.
Key People & Entities
- Darializa Avila Chevalier
- Congressional candidate opposing all deportations
Glossary
- Administrative laws
- Laws relating to regulatory violations like illegal entry, as opposed to criminal laws
- Double jeopardy
- A constitutional principle prohibiting a person from being prosecuted twice for substantially the same crime
- ICE
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement and deportations