ACLU Press Releases

• Published on September 14, 2021 - 22:04 GMT

  A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity: Why the U.S. Should Keep its Promise to Diversity Visa Winners

  Update 9/14/2021: This week, the House Judiciary Committee will begin markup of immigration provisions in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill. As of Monday morning, the language restores access to diversity visas for people who were selected in the …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 11, 2021 - 00:12 GMT

  20 Years After 9/11, We Have a Roadmap Toward a More Just and Equitable Future

  In the early days after 9/11, I hoped desperately — alongside so many others around the country and the world — that our government would make wise choices, that it would meet violence with justice, transparency, accountability, and a commitment to …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 11, 2021 - 00:12 GMT

  Drug Treatment is Infrastructure

  COVID-19 was not the only deadly public health crisis of the past year and a half. The overdose epidemic killed a record 93,000 Americans in 2020, ravaging communities across the country, and may be on track to be worse in 2021. While the nation has …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 10, 2021 - 20:07 GMT

  A Conversation with Survivors of the CIA’s Post 9/11 Torture Program

  In 2015, the ACLU sued psychologists James Elmer Mitchell and John “Bruce” Jessen, whom the CIA enlisted to design, implement, and oversee its post-9/11 torture program. Our clients were Suleiman Abdullah Salim and Mohamed Ahmed Ben Soud, who survived the …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 9, 2021 - 19:41 GMT

  The Watchlisting System Exemplifies the Government’s Post-9/11 Embrace of Biased Profiling

  As a Harvard graduate student and mother of three children, Zainab Merchant was accustomed to traveling frequently from her home in Orlando to Boston for her studies. In 2016, that all changed. Those trips suddenly became ordeals: hours of delay at the …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 7, 2021 - 20:36 GMT

  10 Things to Know about Combating Violence in America

  “With violent crime on the rise, we must invest in more police.” You’ve probably heard this recently from the media, elected officials, and some people directly impacted by gun violence. The pain of communities facing the threat of interpersonal gun …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 7, 2021 - 16:58 GMT

  The Privacy Lesson of 9/11: Mass Surveillance is Not the Way Forward

  Twenty years after 9/11, the pervasive power of our government’s mass surveillance regime is clearer than ever — and it’s past time for change. Congress now has the opportunity to enact essential reforms, by looking to the lessons of the last two decades …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 3, 2021 - 16:12 GMT

  Redistricting is Starting — Here’s What You Need to Know

  Last month, the U.S. Census Bureau provided the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico with population counts to use in their redrawing of the electoral district boundaries for representation in Congress, state legislatures, and many county …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 3, 2021 - 16:12 GMT

  Civil Liberties and Vaccine Mandates: Here’s Our Take.

  Do vaccine mandates violate civil liberties? Some who have refused vaccination claim as much. We disagree. At the ACLU, we are not shy about defending civil liberties, even when they are very unpopular. But we see no civil liberties problem with requiring …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 3, 2021 - 16:12 GMT

  Six Children, One Mom, No Broadband Internet Connection

  A total nightmare. That’s what life has felt like as a mother living with six children in virtual classes. For over a year, it’s been one challenge after another to get the tools my children need to continue their education. We needed space, so I got them …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on September 1, 2021 - 18:46 GMT

  Seniors and People with Disabilities Want to Live in Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes. Will Congress Let Us?

  Marcos Castillo is intelligent, industrious, and the boyfriend of a wonderful woman. He is also paralyzed from the neck down. For him to get out of bed in the morning, to get showered, dressed, and out of the house, he needs someone to come in to help him. …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 31, 2021 - 17:38 GMT

  Safe and Healthy Schools Lead With Support, Not Police

  As schools begin to reopen for the new school year, students like J.W. are dreading the return to hallways patrolled by police officers who are trained and ready to detain, handcuff, and arrest students. After being bullied in his Texas high school one day …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 27, 2021 - 19:49 GMT

  Things to know about the revival of Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy

  After a whirlwind of court actions this month, the Biden administration will be forced to restart a Trump-era border policy that trapped tens of thousands of people seeking asylum in dangerous conditions in Mexico while they awaited their court dates. The …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 24, 2021 - 18:34 GMT

  ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV Project Exists Because of Jim Hormel’s Generosity

  James C. Hormel, the first openly gay U.S. ambassador, died on Friday, August 13. Former director of the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project Matt Coles reflected on the long friendship between Hormel and the ACLU. Jim Hormel was a fine human being. In a lot of …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 24, 2021 - 18:34 GMT

  Apple’s New ‘Child Safety’ Plan for iPhones Isn’t So Safe

  Apple recently announced upcoming changes in how it handles photos on iPhones. These changes are a step toward significantly worse privacy for all iPhone users, and are especially troubling for activists, dissidents, whistleblowers, members of oppressed …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 24, 2021 - 16:47 GMT

  Four Problems with the ShotSpotter Gunshot Detection System

  A critical report on the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system issued today by the City of Chicago’s Inspector General (IG) is the latest indication of deep problems with the gunshot detection company and its technology, including its methodology, …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 23, 2021 - 16:30 GMT

  What is Redistricting and Why Should We Care?

  Redistricting is the process of drawing the lines of districts from which public officials are elected. When it’s conducted fairly, it accurately reflects population changes and racial diversity, and is used by legislators to equitably allocate …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 20, 2021 - 21:49 GMT

  Ashley C. Ford on Growing Up With an Incarcerated Parent

  One in 12 American children — more than 5.7 million kids — have experienced parental incarceration at some point during their lives. Black Americans are 50 percent more likely than white Americans to have a family member who is formerly or currently …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 20, 2021 - 19:44 GMT

  One Year Later, U.S. Service Members Are Still Awaiting Their Promised Pathway to Citizenship

  Vincent Goo immigrated to the United States from South Korea when he was just 10 years old. Last year, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and he currently serves on active duty as a soldier in Germany. But despite serving this country for more than a year, …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights
• Published on August 15, 2021 - 14:08 GMT

  Nine Years After DACA Went Into Effect, Congress On The Verge Of Passing A Path To Citizenship

  On this day nine years ago, the U.S. government began accepting applications under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy commonly known as DACA. Thanks to DACA, undocumented people who came to the United States as children could receive …

  Distribution channels: Human Rights