Home : Immigrants' Rights

ACLU Calls on Immigration Officials to Release Information About Immigrant Detention Deaths (06/27/2007)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request today to obtain information about the nature of 62 deaths of people in immigration detention since 2004. According to a New York Times article published yesterday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported 62 detainee deaths since 2004, but ICE refused to provide any details about the nature or causes of the deaths. 

Migrant Rights Advocate to Head New ACLU of New Mexico Border Office (06/20/2007)
LAS CRUCES, NM - The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico has named Maria Nape as the Director of a new ACLU office, located in the border town of Las Cruces, New Mexico, which will defend civil rights, especially of immigrants, in the border region. Nape has years of experience advocating for the rights of migrant farmworkers.

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.

Lawsuit Seeks to Stop U.S. From Drugging Immigrants (06/19/2007)
LOS ANGELES — The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and law firm Munger, Tolles and Olson LLP filed a federal class action lawsuit today to stop the government’s policy of forcibly drugging people facing deportation. The suit was brought on behalf of two immigrants who were drugged against their will by U.S. officials and seeks an immediate end to the practice as well as damages for the two men.

Pedro Guzman Still Missing as Family Seeks His Safe Return (06/18/2007)
LOS ANGELES — Pedro Guzman is still missing in Mexico, one week after a lawsuit was filed seeking government help in the search for the 29-year-old mentally impaired man illegally deported May 11. The ACLU of Southern California and law firm Van Der Hout, Brigagliano & Nightingale have asked that government agents assist in the search and request help from Mexican authorities, two steps the U.S. has so far refused to take.

ACLU Sues U.S. Immigration Officials and For-Profit Corrections Corporation Over Grossly Deficient Health Care (06/13/2007)
SAN DIEGO -- The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of immigrant detainees at San Diego Correctional Facility (SDCF), charging that inadequate medical and mental health care have caused unnecessary suffering and, in several cases, avoidable death.

U.S. Citizen Illegally Deported From Jail Is Missing in Mexico (06/11/2007)

English-Only Amendment Would Endanger Lives, Discriminate and Create ‘Second-Class’ Citizens, ACLU says (06/07/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC -The ACLU today voiced its strong opposition to an amendment passed late last night to the Senate immigration bill that would declare English the national language and severely restrict the government’s ability to communicate with citizens, residents and visitors. The ACLU praised the passage of a competing amendment that would recognize English as the "common and unifying" language of the United States without restricting access to crucial federal information or declaring it the official language.

ACLU to Senate: The Nation Opposes Real ID, It’s Time To Scrap It (06/07/2007)
WASHINGTON, DC - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on Senators to support legislation stripping Real ID provisions from the Senate immigration bill. A flurry of recent activity in the state legislatures in the past week has made it clearer than ever that Americans oppose the act, and Congress needs to respond by repealing, not expanding Real ID. The ACLU also reported that a systematic review of 10,000 citizen comments on Real ID filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed that they were almost uniformly negative.