Home : Immigrants' Rights

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 Challenges Illegal Detention of Immigrant Children Held in Prison-Like Conditions (03/06/2007)
AUSTIN, TX - The American Civil Liberties Union today filed lawsuits on behalf of ten immigrant children, challenging their illegal detention at the T. Don Hutto facility in Taylor, Texas.

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.

Northern Californians Demand End to Citizenship Application Delays (02/08/2007)
SAN FRANCISCO - Civil rights groups filed a class-action lawsuit today against the federal government for its practice of indefinitely delaying citizenship applications in violation of the Constitution and federal statutes and regulations

California Judge Ends 20-Year-Old Deportation Case Against Palestinians (01/30/2007)
LOS ANGELES - In a strong rebuke to the federal government, a Los Angeles immigration judge today ordered an end to deportation proceedings against two members of the so-called "Los Angeles Eight," a group of immigrants who were targeted by the government 20 years ago for engaging in political speech and supporting Palestinian rights.

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.

Details of Ohio Sheriff's Immigration Deal Should Be Public, ACLU Says (12/14/2006)
HAMILTON, OH - The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio today filed public records requests to uncover details of an agreement between federal immigration officials and Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones that grants local police some authority to enforce federal immigration law.

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.