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Our Vision to Achieve True Public Safety

For decades, local, state and federal public officials from both political parties and powerful interest groups engineered the system of mass incarceration. They did this in part by constructing a narrative of fear fueled by racism through which they passed laws, spent billions of dollars, and separated millions of families. It was a disaster of epic proportions that unfolded in slow motion and for which we are still paying the price today as a nation. T

By aclutn

More from the Press


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Stay informed on civil rights issues. Discover our latest actions and updates in the Press Release section.

This Officer Was Given an Impossible Choice: Quit Breastfeeding or Put Your Life at Risk. The Courts Sided With Her.

When the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed almost 40 years ago, it was intended to tackle the range of mistreatment women faced when they became mothers. And it did wipe out some of the most blatant forms of discrimination, like company policies that prohibited women from working during pregnancy at all or “protected” them out of hazardous — and, not coincidentally, high-paying — jobs. But despite this progress, many women today still find that becoming pregnant or having a child results in their careers taking a sudden nosedive. That’s what happened to Stephanie Hicks, a narcotics investigator for the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, po

By aclutn

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President Trump and Attorney General Sessions Want to Enshrine a Business Right to Discriminate Into the Constitution

Can businesses put up a sign that says, “We Don’t Sell To Gays?” President Trump says yes. Today Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the Supreme Court in an

By aclutn

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As a Dreamer, I Will Not Be A Bargaining Chip for Trump’s Attack on Immigrants

So many words come to mind right now to describe how I feel about the loss of DACA: devastation, anger, rage, betrayal, hopelessness, fear, sadness. DACA transformed my life. DACA allowed me to attend college, plan for my future, and work. But one of the most valuable things DACA brough

By aclutn

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Tennessee and DACA: The Facts

This

By Claire Gardner

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DACA Is Ending. But the Movement Is Not.

Today the Trump administration announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has enabled nearly 800,000 young men and women who came to the United States as children to live and work without fear. President Trump proved once again that he is not a president for all Americans, but only a few. As with his recent pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, his message is clear: He stands with the nativists in rejecting communities of color and people of good will who understand that America’s greatest strength comes from inclusivity, not exclusion. Attorney General Sessions

By aclutn

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Student Rights at School: Six Things You Need To Know

While the Constitution protects the rights of students at school, many school officials are unaware of students’ legal protections, or simply ignore them. When heading back to school this year

By aclutn

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Retired Police Major: Police Militarization Endangers Public Safety

This week, the Trump administration revoked President Obama’s Executive Order 13688, which limited the scope of a federal program that allows state and local police departments to obtain military equipment free of charge – and without oversight or training in how to use it. After spending 34 years as a police officer, I’m convinced that the 1033 Program has been one of the single greatest contributors to the public losing trust in law enforcement. Scrapping Executive Order 13688 means police departmen

By aclutn

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ICE Is Abusing the ACLU’s Clients Because They are Fighting Trump’s Deportation Machine

It was an evening in late July when an ICE guard told France Anwar Elias and several other Iraqi men in immigration custody in Arizona that they were going to be released. France described the feeling as, “going from death back again to life.” The men broke out in tears and embraced one another. Many of them had been in immigration custody for months, unsure of the future and frightened for what could happen if they were deported to Iraq, where they face near-certain persecution, torture, or death. Hours later and only after the men shed their uniforms and changed into regular clothes, the gu

By aclutn

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Undocumented and Seeking Safety During a Natural Disaster

Hurricane Harvey has already resulted in at least 10 deaths and dozens of injuries. Unfortunately, immediate relief is not in sight for Texas residents. As individuals, families, and entire communities prepare to assess the catastrophic damage this storm has wrought on lives, homes, and livelihoods, it is critically important that the federal government’s immigration agenda does not put more people at risk. Regardless of their immigration status, the people of Texas are in the midst of a serious and dangerous na

By aclutn

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