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ACLU Urges House To Reject "Border Security" Bill, Warns of Unintended Consequences For America’s Workers (12/16/2005)
WASHINGTON - With a vote looming on an ill-considered and short-sighted immigration bill, the American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House of Representatives to oppose legislation that would have a detrimental impact on Americans’ ability to work and would also undermine due process in the immigration system.

ACLU Opposes Faulty "Border Security" Bill, Proposal Would Require Workers to Get Government "Permission Slip" (12/15/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged the House of Representatives to oppose a border security bill that fails to properly address the issue of illegal immigration, undermines due process and creates a federally mandated "permission slip" for all Americans. This sweeping legislation has not been thoroughly examined by Congress, and yet could be considered as early as today.

ACLU Shocked at Bush Use of National Security Agency for Domestic Spying, Says Move Violates Constitutional Limits and Federal Laws (12/15/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed shock about revelations reported in the New York Times that President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on conversations of Americans and others in the United States. According to the report, this spying occurred without any court order and was focused on telephone and e-mail communications of "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States" with persons abroad. Electronic surveillance law generally prohibits non-consensual eavesdropping in the U.S. without a court order based on probable cause.

House Patriot Act Vote Fails to Protect Innocent Americans and Privacy, ACLU Calls on Senate to Reject Pressure, Stand for the Constitution (12/14/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed disappointment with the failure of the House to protect the liberty and freedom of innocent Americans when that body adopted flawed legislation to reauthorize the Patriot Act. The White House and its allies had placed enormous pressure on lawmakers to adopt the proposal that now heads to the Senate.

ACLU Applauds House Support for McCain Anti-Torture Amendment, But Denounces Proposed Secret Deal to Undermine Rule of Law (12/14/2005)
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives today supported an anti-torture amendment to the Defense Department spending bill to restore the rule of law in military interrogations, despite calls from the White House that the president would veto such a measure. The American Civil Liberties Union applauded lawmakers, but also denounced reports that a proposed back-room deal between key lawmakers and the White House will lead to a dilution of that very amendment.

ACLU Calls for Vote Against Cloture on Patriot Act ‘Compromise’ Agreement, Says Senators Must Stand For Innocent Americans and Bill of Rights (12/13/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on Senators to reject a compromise agreement on legislation to reauthorize the Patriot Act and urged that body to vote against a motion for cloture. Concerns about the lack of substantive reforms to the anti-terrorism law have come from an unusual set of allies, including former Republican Congressman Bob Barr, the American Conservative Union, librarians and other moderate organizations.

ACLU Condemns Hidden Provision that Would Impede Freedom of Speech; Patriot Act Reauthorization Bill Would Empower Secret Service as Censors (12/12/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced a provision contained within legislation created to reauthorize the Patriot Act that would make major changes to the criminal statutes administered by the Secret Service and could seriously damage the free speech rights of all Americans. The controversial provision has not had any Congressional review or hearings.

ACLU Says President’s Patriot Act Push Again Ignores Americans' Concerns about Privacy, Calls on Congress to Resist Pressure and Protect Innocent Americans (12/10/2005)
WASHINGTON – Following President Bush’s call today for passage of legislation that would reauthorize the Patriot Act without correcting the most egregious parts of that law, the American Civil Liberties Union faulted the White House for failing to address the serious privacy issues that remain unfixed and urged lawmakers to resist White House pressure and reject the flawed reauthorization bill.

New Documents Show FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Targeting Peaceful Protest Activity in Colorado (12/08/2005)
DENVER -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado today released documents revealing that the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) is tracking information on peaceful protesters, including names and license plate numbers.

ACLU Seeks Clarification from Government on Comments About Innocent Victim of "Extraordinary Rendition" (12/08/2005)
NEW YORK -- The American Civil Liberties Union today sent letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff seeking confirmation that Khalid El-Masri, an innocent German citizen victimized by the CIA’s policy of "extraordinary rendition," is eligible to enter the United States. El-Masri was denied entry into the U.S. at Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta on Saturday, December 3, 2005 without explanation.

Flawed Patriot Act Conference Report Moves Forward; ACLU Calls on Fair-Minded Lawmakers to Stand for Privacy and Freedom (12/08/2005)
WASHINGTON - A group of Republican lawmakers today signed on to legislation to reauthorize portions of the Patriot Act, without making needed substantive corrections to the anti-terrorism law to protect the privacy of innocent Americans unconnected to suspected foreign terrorists. Bipartisan negotiators from both the House and Senate had been working to craft a compromise agreement that would incorporate better checks and balances into the legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union denounced the move, calling it a failure to protect law-abiding Americans and preserve our Bill of Rights.

ACLU Calls Flawed House Border Security Bill An Assault on Privacy, Says Measure Would Expand Policies That Already Erode Civil Liberties (12/08/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today denounced legislation, authored by House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), aimed at enhancing border security and employment verification, but that would actually undermine the privacy of Americans and would not appropriately address the issue of illegal immigration. The House Judiciary Committee approved that bill today.

Final 9/11 Commission Report Does Not Call for Patriot Act Search Powers Expansion, ACLU Says Congress Must Take Steps to Better Balance Security and Liberty (12/05/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today welcomed the final report of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, noting that the successor organization to the 9/11 Commission did not call for a further expansion of the Patriot Act. Congress is currently working to pass legislation to reauthorize provisions of that law that are scheduled to "sunset," or expire, at the end of this year.

Justice Department Continues Offensive on National Security Letters, ACLU Says Government Statements Misleading and Inaccurate (12/02/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today rebuked efforts by the Justice Department to downplay the increased use of National Security Letters (NSLs), which give law enforcement access to sensitive records without judicial approval. The reach of NSLs was broadened by the Patriot Act and their use has increased a hundredfold since 2001.

ACLU Says White House Usurps Patriot Act Reauthorization Process, Negotiators Neglect Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns but Add Poison Pills (11/16/2005)
WASHINGTON - A conference committee tasked to reconcile differences between House and Senate Patriot Act bills ignored bipartisan calls to restore checks and balances on government power and protect privacy and civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. The Republican-led conferees also attached several "poison pill" measures to the must-pass legislation, unrelated to the 2001 anti-terrorism law. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the bill this week.

ACLU Says White House Usurps Patriot Act Reauthorization Process, Negotiators Neglect Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns but Add Poison Pills (11/16/2005)
WASHINGTON - A conference committee tasked to reconcile differences between House and Senate Patriot Act bills ignored bipartisan calls to restore checks and balances on government power and protect privacy and civil liberties, the American Civil Liberties Union said today. The Republican-led conferees also attached several "poison pill" measures to the must-pass legislation, unrelated to the 2001 anti-terrorism law. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the bill this week.

Senate Restores Some Rights for Detainees: ACLU Says Move Welcome, But Still Falls Short (11/15/2005)
WASHINGTON - The Senate today amended a recently adopted proposal that would deny all courts, including the Supreme Court, jurisdiction to consider legal challenges to the detention of foreign detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. The American Civil Liberties Union called the step an improvement, but said that it still fell short of fully restoring the rule of law.

Ideological Exclusion - Censorship at the Border (11/10/2005)

ACLU Urges Congress to Reject Court Stripping Measure; Proposal Denies Detainees the Right to Challenge the Use of Torture (11/10/2005)
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today urged senators to reject an amendment, offered by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that would make the McCain anti-torture amendment nearly impossible to enforce at Guantanamo Bay. The Graham amendment would strip all courts, including the Supreme Court, of jurisdiction to consider habeas corpus petitions or any other action challenging any aspect of the detention of foreign detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, except for the narrow question of whether status review boards follow their own rules.