Archive

A U.S. District Court Judge granted motions for a preliminary injunction and for class certification in our lawsuit challenging the federal government’s practice in California of detaining immigrants without bond while they face deportation proceedings. Read More

The Drive California Coalition, comprised of a broad range of civil and immigrants’ rights organizations, applauds members of California’s Congressional Delegation for urging U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson to approve the California driver’s license proposed by the legislature in AB 60: “The Safe and Responsible Driver Act.” The license is carefully designed to pro... Read More

Drive California, a statewide coalition composed of a broad range of civil and immigrants’ rights groups including California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPIC), Presente, the ACLU of California, Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN), and TODEC-Training Occupational Development Educating Communities Center, strongly object to DHS’s refusal to let California move forward with creat... Read More

Today the ACLU of California and other civil rights groups sent letters to every county in California urging them to end compliance with immigration detainer requests in the wake of a recent federal court decision holding that the requests are unconstitutional and local law enforcement may be held liable for money damages for complying with them. Read More

Last May Day, hundreds of Fresno residents took to the streets to ask for a path to citizenship for the 11 million people forced to live in the shadows by our broken immigration system. There was momentum in Congress for comprehensive immigration and the Senate later managed to approve a comprehensive immigration reform bill. We were all so hopeful.Fast-forward one year later: Congress has stalled... Read More

Today the ACLU filed a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of thousands of immigrants fleeing persecution who have faced months of detention while they await reasonable fear determinations, the first step in seeking protection in the U.S. when someone is forced to return following a deportation order. Read More

A class action settlement ending the blanket policy of shackling adult detainees in immigration court, regardless of their history or capacity for disruption. Read More

Hard to believe, but until recently, all detained immigrants appearing in the civil immigration court in San Francisco were forced to give critical testimony while restrained by shackles and chains at the wrists, waist, and ankles. The inhumane practice was particularly problematic for asylum seekers and immigrants who had suffered from torture and domestic violence in the past—and it was unnecess... Read More

Today the ACLU of California and the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project applaud the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to halt its troubling practice of arresting individuals at Kern County courthouses. Read More

An historic settlement was reached Thursday in a class action lawsuit between immigration authorities and immigrants bringing an end to the federal government’s practice of forcing detained immigrants to go through their civil immigration hearings in handcuffs, leg irons, and chains. Read More