Today, Senator Mike Lee co-sponsored the Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011, which clarifies that a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force by Congress does not authorize the indefinite detention of American citizens or legal residents who are apprehended in the United States.

“The government’s most basic responsibility is to protect the civil liberties of its citizens,” said Senator Lee. “Our nation has fought wars on American soil and around the world in defense of individual liberty, and we must not sacrifice this most fundamental right in the pursuit of greater security.  Without freedom there is no security."

“Americans who commit treason, or plot treasonous acts, should and will be punished for their crimes. But granting the United States government the power to deprive its own citizens of life, liberty, or property without full due process of law goes against the very nature of our nation's constitutional values.”

The full list of original cosponsors includes: Senators Feinstein, Leahy, Lee, Udall (CO), Kirk, Gillibrand, Paul, Coons, Durbin, Nelson (NE), Shaheen, Franken, Udall (NM), McCaskill.