Americans have lived under the same Constitution, and behind the same Declaration of Independence, for more than two centuries. It’s sad, then, to see that so many people don’t know — or at least don’t appreciate — the basic precepts those great documents assert.

Sadly, even members of our own government — those who make decisions affecting everyone who lives within our nation’s borders, regardless of nationality — either don’t know or choose to defy those fundamental precepts.

That is why U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Calif., was motivated to file House Resolution 1215, the Immigration Oversight and Fairness Act of 2009. The bill would assure that immigration detainees’ basic rights are respected, including access to legal information and medical care.

The very premise behind our Declaration of Independence is the simple phrase: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.â€