Penetrating the Entry Doctrine: Excludable Aliens' Constitutional Rights in Immigration Processes

Under the "entry doctrine", US courts have ruled that excludable aliens have no right to be accorded due process and therefore can be denied constitutional protection in immigration processes. This is because there is no inherent rights to enter the courts. This article analyses the scope of the doctrine; discusses whether the entry doctrine precludes the application of the entitlement approach to due process; and assesses three important processes - withholding of return, immediate relative status and parole - to illustrate that excludable aliens do possess entitlement interests related to entry.