Home : Immigrants' Rights : Discrimination

ACLU Files Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against Dallas Judge (08/31/2007)
DALLAS -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas filed a lawsuit today in Dallas County District Court on behalf of Amardeep Singh, against the Honorable Albert Cercone, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1, Place 3. Singh charges religious discrimination stemming from a 2006 incident in which he was ordered out of Judge Cercone’s courtroom and threatened with arrest when he refused to remove his turban while defending himself against a traffic citation. Singh has also filed a complaint with the State Commission on Judicial Misconduct about the incident.

Federal Court Strikes Down Discriminatory Anti-Immigrant Law in Hazleton, Pennsylvania (07/26/2007)
HAZLETON, PA – In the first trial decision of its kind, a federal court has declared unconstitutional a local ordinance that sought to punish landlords and employers for doing business with undocumented immigrants. The landmark decision in the closely-watched challenge to Hazleton's anti-immigrant ordinance held that the ordinance cannot be enforced.

ACLU of New Jersey Challenges Arbitrary Police Fees for March (07/09/2007)
NEWARK - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and the Farmworkers' Support Committee today filed a lawsuit in federal district court against the city of Bridgeton for charging a fee of more than $1,500 for an immigrant rights March held on May 1.

ACLU of Virginia Urges County Officials to Reject Anti-Immigrant Ordinance (07/09/2007)
RICHMOND, VA - The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today asked members of the Prince William Board of Supervisors not to approve a proposed anti-immigrant ordinance that could lead to increased discrimination based on national origin and to the denial of essential, legally required services to undocumented immigrants. The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote on the controversial ordinance at its meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Judge Grants ACLU, MALDEF Request to Block Anti-Immigrant Ordinance in Texas During Duration of Trial (06/19/2007)
FARMERS BRANCH, TX – A federal district court in Texas today sided with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and issued an order that blocks an anti-immigrant ordinance from taking effect in Farmers Branch while a legal challenge continues.

NYCLU Testifies Before United Nations Migrants' Rights Expert on Anti-Immigrant Ordinances (05/15/2007)
NEW YORK - In testimony before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, the New York Civil Liberties Union expressed concern over the growing movement in towns, cities, and counties across the United States to introduce local anti-immigrant ordinances that attempt to drive out undocumented immigrants and their families, and to punish those who employ or rent to them.

Treatment Of Immigrants In U.S. Violates International Standards, NYCLU And Human Rights Groups Tell U.N. (05/11/2007)
NEW YORK - The New York Civil Liberties Union will join community organizations, immigrant rights groups and officials tomorrow in a public hearing on the occasion of the visit by Jorge Bustamante, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, to the New York area.

Federal Judge Rules Against Policy of Denying Marriage License on Basis of Immigration Status (05/01/2007)
SCRANTON, PA - A federal judge today ruled that a county official cannot deny a marriage license to a couple simply because an applicant does not have a current visa or green card.

Pennsylvania Couple Wrongfully Denied Marriage License Because of Immigration Status, ACLU Charges (04/18/2007)
SCRANTON, PA - The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a West Hazleton couple who were denied a marriage license because of a policy that prohibits issuance of a license to anyone who cannot prove that “they are in the country legally.”

Federal Trial Over Hazleton, PA’s Anti-Immigrant Ordinances Concludes (03/22/2007)
SCRANTON, PA - Trial came to an end today in a federal challenge to prevent the city of Hazleton, PA from implementing harsh anti-immigrant ordinances that are at odds with federal law. The two-week trial revealed that Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta and city officials rushed to scapegoat undocumented immigrants for several of the city’s burdens, despite evidence to the contrary.

Trial Begins in Landmark Challenge to Anti-Immigrant Laws in Hazleton, PA (03/12/2007)
SCRANTON, PA - A federal trial began here today in a landmark challenge to local ordinances that seek to punish landlords and employers who do business with undocumented immigrants. Attorneys representing residents and business owners in Hazleton, PA argued that the laws are unconstitutional because they seek to trump federal immigration policy, and would legitimize discrimination against anyone who looks or sounds foreign.

Proposed Suffolk County Law Unfairly Criminalizes Day Laborers, NYCLU Testifies (03/06/2007)
NEW YORK- The New York Civil Liberties Union today expressed its firm opposition to an anti-immigrant ordinance under consideration by the Suffolk County legislature, arguing in testimony that the bill criminalizes "standing while Latino" by unfairly targeting day laborers seeking work.

ACLU of Arizona Urges Lake Havasu Council Members to Reject Proposed Anti-Immigrant Ordinance (02/27/2007)
PHOENIX - In a letter sent today to members of the Lake Havasu City Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona urged city officials to reject a proposal to impose a citywide, employee-eligibility verification system regarding the hiring of immigrants. According to the ACLU, the proposed ordinance violates the constitutional principle that local government cannot override federal law and will hurt the local economy by imposing financial burdens on local employers.

Virginia's Senate Committees Reject Anti-Immigrant Legislation (02/15/2007)
RICHMOND, VA-The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia today welcomed the news that two Senate committees have dispensed with most of the anti-immigrant bills in the Virginia legislature.

Civil Rights Groups File Challenge to Anti-Immigrant Ordinance in Texas (12/27/2006)
FARMERS BRANCH, TX – Today, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, along with the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, filed suit in Dallas federal district court on behalf of Farmers Branch residents and landlords challenging the city’s recently adopted anti-immigrant ordinance.

Escondido, CA Backs Down from Anti-Immigrant Ordinance (12/14/2006)
SAN DIEGO - In an unexpected but welcome reversal, the city of Escondido has agreed not to enforce a controversial city ordinance that bans renting apartments to undocumented immigrants, a coalition of civil rights organizations announced today.

Civil Rights Organizations File Lawsuit Over Unconstitutional Ordinance in Escondido, CA (11/03/2006)
ESCONDIDO, CA - A coalition of civil rights organizations and law firms today filed a lawsuit against the city of Escondido, charging that the city's anti-immigration ordinance is unconstitutional and illegal under federal and state law. In a demand letter issued last week, the coalition urged the City Council to avoid spending taxpayer dollars on a lawsuit defending the unconstitutional ordinance, and pressed instead for the measure to be repealed before the November 18 implementation date. The city failed to respond to the letter.

Undocumented Workers Bring Plea for Non-Discrimination to Human Rights Body (11/01/2006)
NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union, the National Employment Law Project and the Transnational Legal Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania School of Law today filed a petition urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to find the United States in violation of its universal human rights obligations by failing to protect millions of undocumented workers from exploitation and discrimination in the workplace.

Federal Judge Blocks Hazleton Anti-Immigrant Ordinance (10/31/2006)
SCRANTON, PA -- A federal judge today issued a temporary order blocking anti-immigrant ordinances from being enforced in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, noting that the laws could cause “irreparable harm” to the city’s residents. The ordinances were challenged in court by local business owners, landlords and residents who would be negatively impacted by the laws.

Hazleton Law Doesn’t Trump Federal Government, Groups Charge (10/30/2006)
HAZLETON, PA -- A coalition of local attorneys, civil rights and immigrants’ rights groups today filed new legal papers charging that the city of Hazleton has overstepped its authority by passing harsh anti-immigrant ordinances that are at odds with federal immigration law.