ACLU COMMENT ON TRUMP’S CALL TO END IMMIGRATION PROGRAM, SEND NYC ATTACK SUSPECT TO GUANTÁNAMO

Source: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)




Washington, D.C. - November 2, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- President Trump has urged Congress to end a longtime immigration program, invoked “extreme vetting,” and said he is considering sending the man arrested in yesterday’s New York attack to the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Anthony D. Romero, executor director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had this reaction:

“President Trump’s reaction to the tragedy in New York represents a trifecta of unconstitutional and wrong-headed policies. His call for more ‘extreme vetting’ and an end to the diversity visa program — which will unfairly target Muslim and African immigrants — would double down on his Muslim ban and anti-immigrant policies.

“Sending Saipov to Guantánamo or treating him as an ‘enemy combatant’ would violate due process and the rule of law. The FBI and our federal court system are more than capable of dealing with terrorism cases, and Guantánamo was shown long ago to be an epic failure. It’s a shame that Trump is using this attack as a platform for pushing his anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim agenda.”

Read more about the New York Terrorist at The Ponder News by clicking HERE

ACLU COMMENT ON RELEASE OF TEXT OF BILL TO REAUTHORIZE WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE OF AMERICANS

Source: American Civil Liberties Union



Washington, D.C. - October 28, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The Senate Intelligence Committee released the text of the bill that was voted on in a closed session to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the government to surveil Americans’ communications without a warrant and is set to expire at the end of the year.

The bill would reauthorize Section 702 for eight years, and it would authorize for the first time several of the government’s illegal practices — such as searching for information about people in the U.S., collecting domestic communications, and collecting communications that are neither to nor from a surveillance target. The bill lacks much-needed reforms to ensure that the government gets a warrant to search for information of people in the U.S., to end illegal practices that the NSA has used to collect domestic communications, and to ensure appropriate transparency.

Neema Singh Guliani, American Civil Liberties Union legislative counsel, had the following reaction:

“It's unacceptable that an issue of this magnitude was debated behind closed doors. We now know what mischief they were up to in secret. Not only did they fail to curb the litany abuses that have occurred in recent years, in many respects, the bill would expand existing surveillance authorities. Now that this language has seen the light of day, it is clear that this bill would further strip Americans of their constitutional rights.

“No president — including our current one — should have the authority to conduct large-scale warrantless surveillance of Americans. Such power leaves Americans vulnerable to illegal spying that improperly targets government critics, activists, journalists, and communities of color.”

ACLU RESPONDS TO BROKEN POLICE CULTURE THAT RESULTED IN KILLING OF MAGDIEL SANCHEZ

Source: American Civil Liberties Union

Washington, D.C. - September 22, 2017  (The Ponder News) -- In response to the news that the Oklahoma City Police Department has killed a deaf man who did not respond to officer commands, the ACLU of Oklahoma released the following statement:

The following is attributable to Allie Shinn, Director of External Affairs:

“We are incredibly saddened and disturbed by the news that an Oklahoma City police officer shot and killed Magdiel Sanchez, a deaf man confronted on his own porch.

“Police have an obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide reasonable modifications in their interactions with people with disabilities. The neighbors put the police on notice that they were dealing with someone who had a disability.

“Merely failing to follow commands is an unacceptable defense for the use of lethal force. We have allowed a dangerous culture of 'us vs. them' to fester among our law enforcement professionals. This killing speaks directly to a warrior culture in which the very people police officers are sworn to protect come to be viewed as the enemy. This culture assumes that an officer’s command, regardless of validity, is more important and more valuable than a human life.

“We as a society must consider whether or not our officers are truly equipped and qualified to serve as a protective force. Evidence is mounting daily that too often many of our officers are more interested in power than in protection.

“Magdiel Sanchez was shot at his own home, without having committed any crime, and in front of neighbors who knew he was deaf trying to communicate to the police that what they were about to do was wrong. Magdiel Sanchez should be alive today.”