The Promise of Due Process: Reflections From My Visit to Viator House of Hospitality
This week, I had the privilege of visiting Viator House of Hospitality—a place where compassion isn’t just a talking point, but a daily practice. I walked away inspired, humbled, and deeply moved by the extraordinary work happening inside its walls.
Viator House provides safety, stability, and community for young people seeking asylum in the United States. Many have endured war, violence, family separation, or political instability. Yet when you sit with them, you don’t just see hardship—you see hope. You see grit. You see young people who believe in the promise of this country, who are working hard every day to rebuild their lives.
And that is what made what I learned next so heartbreaking.
Even as these youth follow every legal requirement of the asylum process—and even when some hold valid work permits—they are still being targeted and detained by ICE.
Let me be clear:
This is not only cruel. It undermines the very values our Constitution is built upon.
These youth have pending legal cases. They are showing up for every hearing. They are doing exactly what the law asks of them. And our Constitution guarantees that no person—citizen or not—will be deprived of liberty without due process of law.
That principle is not optional.
It is not conditional.
It is foundational.
Yet here in Illinois—including right here in the Northwest suburbs—we are witnessing actions that contradict those protections and jeopardize community trust.
At Viator House, I saw what America looks like at its best:
A place where strangers become neighbors.
Where safety replaces fear.
Where dignity is respected, not questioned.
Where young people rebuilding their lives are met with opportunity rather than hostility.
This is the model of community care, safety, and compassion that strengthens us all.
But when federal agencies stray outside the bounds of the Constitution—when young people with active asylum cases or legally issued work permits are treated as disposable—the consequences ripple far beyond one household or one neighborhood. It makes all of us less safe. It erodes trust. It creates fear where there should be fairness.
No one pursuing a legal asylum case should be living in fear.
No one with a valid work permit should be punished for working.
No young person seeking refuge should be stripped of their dignity or their rights.
As a social worker, a mother, a Village Trustee, and a candidate for State Senate, I believe we are strongest when we lead with humanity and uphold the rule of law. Justice reform and immigrant rights are not abstract issues in our district—they are lived realities.
Illinois can and must set the standard for how we treat asylum seekers:
with dignity, fairness, transparency, and a commitment to due process.
I am committed to being a voice in Springfield that:
Protects due process
Defends immigrant families
Ends unconstitutional collaboration with ICE
Ensures our state never turns its back on the values we claim to uphold
To the residents, staff, and volunteers of Viator House: Thank you for reminding us what real hospitality—and real American values—look like.
Your work shows us the path forward. And I am committed to making sure our laws follow it too.
Thank you for your support, your trust, and your belief in what we can build together.
Let’s keep going—because together, we’re stronger.
With gratitude,
Carina Santa Maria
Candidate for Illinois State Senate, District 27