Home : Immigrants' Rights

Discriminatory Bank Policy Prohibits Foreigners from Receiving Credit, ACLU Charges (05/24/2005)
LOS ANGELES -- What do Yao Ming and Russell Crowe have in common? They, like Laguna Niguel resident Janice Rooney, can't get a credit card from the Union Bank of California. Despite incredible wealth, or good credit in the case of Rooney, Union Bank won't extend you credit if you are not a U.S. citizen, the American Civil Liberties Union said today in a lawsuit filed on Rooney's behalf.

ACLU of Rhode Island Sues DMV Over Driver's License Procedures For Immigrants (05/23/2005)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The ACLU of Rhode Island today filed a lawsuit against the Division of Motor Vehicles, charging the agency with a complete failure to comply with an important state law designed to ensure open and responsive government. The Administrative Procedures Act requires state agencies to provide advance public notice and seek public comment before they adopt rules and regulations governing their activities.

ACLU Files Lawsuit to Protect Religious Liberty of Imprisoned Asylum Seeker (05/18/2005)
SAN FRANCISCO -- The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging restrictions on an asylum seeker's right to wear a religious head covering. The plaintiff, Harpal Singh Cheema, is a devout Sikh, imprisoned since 1997 while awaiting a decision on his asylum application.

ACLU Dismayed at Governor Schwarzenegger's Endorsement of Armed Vigilantes on California's Border (04/29/2005)
NEW YORK -- The Immigrants' Rights Project of the national American Civil Liberties Union is dismayed at the statements of Governor Schwarzenegger praising the activities of the ""Minuteman"" vigilantes at the Arizona border.

ACLU of California Criticizes Governor Schwarzenegger's Comments on Controversial "Minuteman" Program (04/29/2005)
SACRAMENTO -- A governor who ran for office as the people's politician should unite the residents of California rather than divide.

ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project Staff Travels to Arizona to Support Monitoring Efforts by ACLU of Arizona (04/16/2005)
NEW YORK -- The Immigrants' Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union today announced that it has sent two national staff members to Arizona to support the Legal Observer Project organized by the ACLU of Arizona.

ACLU of Arizona Denounces Unlawful Imprisonment of Immigrant by Minuteman Volunteer (04/07/2005)
DOUGLAS, AZ -- The American Civil Liberties Union today condemned the actions of volunteers with a controversial citizen border patrol program known as the ""Minuteman Project"" for reportedly holding an individual against his will and photographing him holding a t-shirt with a mocking slogan.

ACLU of Arizona to Provide Legal Observers During Controversial "Minuteman" Border Watch Program (03/30/2005)
PHOENIX -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, in its traditional role as a guardian of civil liberties, announced today that it will be providing legal observers throughout the month of April at the site of the Minuteman Project at the Arizona-Mexico Border.

United Nations Set to Adopt Ruling Criticizing Arbitrary Security Detentions of Immigrants by the United States (03/22/2005)
NEW YORK- In a stern rebuke to U. S. immigration detention policies, a panel of experts at the United Nations ruled that the government is violating universal human rights standards by continuing to detain an Algerian immigrant, Benamar Benatta, who was taken into custody on September 12, 2001, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights is expected to adopt the opinion during its 61st session, which opens this month.

ACLU Sues Federal Agents for Illegal Arrest and Detention of Iraqi Refugee (03/17/2005)
GREAT FALLS, MT--The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, and the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project today sued two federal agents for unlawfully stopping, interrogating, arresting, imprisoning, and seeking to deport an Iraqi refugee who was legally admitted to the United States and had broken no laws. As a result of his illegal detention, the man lost his job and suffered serious humiliation and emotional distress.

House Includes Asylum and Privacy Assault in 'Must Pass' Funding Bill; ACLU Urges Senate to Reject Sensenbrenner Measure (03/16/2005)
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives today attached controversial anti-immigration legislation to an emergency military funding bill. The American Civil Liberties Union urged the Senate to reject the House's efforts to evade regular legislative order, saying that the REAL ID Act would make it more difficult to seek asylum, lay the foundation for a national ID card and chill free speech.