Since September 2001, many people have been unjustly targeted, questioned, detained, and even tortured in the name of national security. These policies disproportionately impact people who are or perceived to be of Middle Eastern descent. The National Security Program challenges restrictions on civil liberties and fundamental rights made in the name of national security.

The Human Rights Project works to ensure that the U.S. government complies with universal human rights principles in addition to the standards set forth by the U.S. Constitution. The Program uses international human rights strategies to complement existing ACLU advocacy on national security, immigrants' rights, women's rights and racial justice issues.

The National Prison Project  challenges brutal and unconstitutional conditions in prisons and jails. The Project has helped to reduce prison overcrowding, improve prisoner medical care, and eliminate violence and maltreatment in prisons.

The War on Drugs has many casualties, a disproportionate number of whom are people of color. The Drug Law Reform Project  strives to end punitive drug policies that cause the widespread violation of constitutional and human rights, as well as unprecedented levels of incarceration.

People of color have accounted for a disproportionate 43 percent of total executions since 1976, and represent 55 percent of those currently awaiting execution. The Capital Punishment Project works to end the death penalty and advocates against its discriminatory application in the U.S.

The Immigrants' Rights Project  defends the civil and constitutional rights of immigrants by advocating for the right to judicial review, fair employment practices, constitutional safeguards against detention practices and biased asylum adjudications, and linguistic and religious freedoms for ethnic minorities.

The Reproductive Freedom Project fights to ensure that the decision whether or not to have a child is informed, meaningful, and protected from government interference. The Project works to protect access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care, from restoring Medicaid coverage for abortions to defending women who are incarcerated for using drugs during their pregnancies. 

The Women's Rights Project  seeks to protect and expand the rights of women, with a particular focus on women of color, immigrant women, and poor women. WRP's work addresses four core priority areas: employment, domestic violence, welfare, and criminal justice.