Home : Immigrants' Rights : Asylum/Refugees

ACLU Asks Court to Bar Government From Deporting Egyptian National to Torture (08/30/2007)
SCRANTON, PA - At a hearing today in federal court, the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the U.S. government cannot deport an Egyptian national back to Egypt based on "diplomatic assurances" from the Egyptian government that it will not torture him upon his return. The ACLU also asked that he be immediately released from detention, where he has been held since May.

Government Apologizes for Unlawful Arrest and Detention of Iraqi Refugee (08/23/2007)
SEATTLE -- The American Civil Liberties Union today announced that the United States government has apologized to Abdulameer Yousef Habeeb, an Iraqi refugee whom federal agents unlawfully stopped, interrogated, arrested, imprisoned, and sought to deport. At the request of federal officials and the ACLU, a federal district court judge in Montana vacated a 2006 ruling upholding Habeeb's arrest and detention. The government also provided Habeeb compensation for its mistreatment of him.

Court Says 'No' to Indefinite Detention (03/17/2006)
LOS ANGELES - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today unanimously ordered the immediate release of a Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seeker and torture victim who has been imprisoned by the government for nearly five years.

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 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.

House Approves Assault on Immigrants' Rights and Privacy; ACLU Urges Senate to Reject Sensenbrenner Measure (02/10/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union strongly urged the Senate to reject legislation approved by the House today that would make it more difficult to seek asylum, lay the foundation for a national ID card and chill free speech in America.

ACLU, Allies Oppose Sensenbrenner's Anti-Immigrant Bill; Mean-Spirited Measure Would Hurt Persecuted, Undermine Privacy (02/09/2005)
WASHINGTON - In one of its first major actions this session, the House of Representatives is debating today anti-immigrant legislation introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). The American Civil Liberties Union renewed its opposition to the measure, H.R. 418 - the REAL ID Act -- joining a diverse coalition of privacy, immigrants' rights and conservative organizations who have raised concerns.

Sensenbrenner Renews Assault on Immigrants' Rights; ACLU Says Measure Would Hurt Persecuted Seeking Sanctuary (01/26/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today opposed legislation introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), calling it an unnecessary assault on immigrants. The Sensenbrenner legislation includes several controversial provisions that were pulled from the intelligence reform legislation adopted by Congress last year.

In First Week, House Renews Anti-Immigrant Push; Extreme Measures Rejected During Intelligence Reform Debate (01/07/2005)
WASHINGTON - With the new Congress barely a week old, three major anti-immigration bills are already in play. The American Civil Liberties Union called many of the bills extreme and noted that most were rejected as harsh and unnecessary during debate over intelligence reform legislation passed at the end of last year.

ACLU Opposes Latest Court-Stripping Assault on Rights of Immigrants; Unnecessary Proposal Includes Another Piece of 'Patriot 2' (05/20/2004)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today strongly condemned new proposed legislation that would restrict immigrants' access to federal court, and called on Congress to reject the measure. The proposed bill would explicitly restrict access to the "Great Writ" of habeas corpus, which lies at the core of American liberty, and also contains a provision of the now defunct "Patriot Act 2" legislation leaked last year.

ACLU Urges Passage of Bill Protecting Vulnerable Children (02/28/2002)
WASHINGTON -- Pointing to repeated reports of brutal detention practices, the American Civil Liberties Union today expressed strong support for a bill that would provide legal protections for foreign-born children who arrive unaccompanied in the United States. 

ACLU Backs Bill to Stop Improper Removal and Jailing of Refugees,Says Measure Would Save Lives, Prevent Mistreatment (08/02/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union expressed strong support today for new bipartisan legislation that would greatly limit the number of deportations, without a fair hearing and without review, of asylum-seekers with a valid need for refuge in the United States. 

ACLU Backs Bill to Stop Improper Removal and Jailing of Refugees, Says Measure Would Save Lives, Prevent Mistreatment (08/02/2001)
WASHINGTON -- The American Civil Liberties Union expressed strong support today for new bipartisan legislation that would greatly limit the number of deportations, without a fair hearing and without review, of asylum-seekers with a valid need for refuge in the United States. 

ACLU Lauds Appeals Court Ruling Granting Asylum for Gay Man Persecuted for Sexual Orientation (08/25/2000)
LOS ANGELES, CA -- A unanimous federal appeals court has granted asylum for a gay Mexican man who was persecuted because of his sexual orientation, in a ruling lauded by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups.

ACLU Urges Quick Resolution of Elian Gonzalez Case; Says Child Should Have Access to Courts (02/22/2000)
MIAMI -- At a news conference here today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida announced the filing of a friend-of-the-court brief that supports Elian Gonzalez's right of access to the courts to challenge actions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

INS Is Denying Protection to Honduran Victims of Hurricane Mitch, Immigrants' Rights Groups Charge (11/16/1999)
NEW YORK -- Immigration officials are ignoring a Presidential order allowing Hondurans to live and work temporarily in the United States after Hurricane Mitch devastated their country, a coalition of immigrant advocates said today.