In a recent MSNBC legal segment, former federal prosecutor Christie Greenberg offered sharp legal insight into a series of controversial actions by the Trump administration, focusing on habeas corpus rights and immigration enforcement.

Greenberg emphasized that the U.S. Constitution only allows for the suspension of habeas corpus—the right to challenge unlawful detention—in cases of “rebellion or invasion.” Citing recent federal court rulings, she argued there is no current legal basis for such a suspension, as there is no active invasion or rebellion threatening public safety. “Public safety plainly does not require suspending habeas corpus,” Greenberg stated, dismissing claims that the immigration crisis meets constitutional thresholds.

The discussion then shifted to the arrest of the Newark mayor outside an ICE detention facility. Greenberg expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of trespassing charges, particularly given video evidence and eyewitness accounts. “It’s hard to imagine a mayor being handcuffed for trying to inspect a facility in his own city,” she remarked.

Further complicating matters is the administration’s deportation strategy. A federal judge in Massachusetts recently blocked deportations of Southeast Asian migrants to Libya—a country described by Amnesty International as a “hellscape” of abuse and torture. Greenberg underscored the legal requirement for migrants to receive 15 days to contest removal to third-party nations, warning that coercing consent under threat of solitary confinement is both unethical and illegal.

Finally, Greenberg discussed a temporary court block on Trump’s executive order to fire federal employees across 21 agencies. The court held that large-scale restructuring of the executive branch likely requires Congressional approval.

The legal consensus? Many of these Trump-era moves raise profound constitutional and human rights concerns—ones likely to face stiff resistance in federal courts.