Immigrant Rights

As the invasion of Iraq began, the FBI announced a plan to interview at least 11,000 Iraqis in the next couple weeks. While the interviews are reportedly voluntary, many Iraqi immigrants lawfully in the country are fearful they may be detained or sent back to Iraq for saying something wrong.

ACLU of WA objecting to Border Patrol’s practice of stopping all cars within 100 miles of international border and questioning passengers about their nationality.

The King County Council has adopted a measure to ensure that most county employees will not ask about an individual’s immigration status unless specifically required to do so by federal or state law. The measure will foster cooperation and trust between residents and county officials. King County Executive Kirk Triplett (pictured above) signed the ordinance.

In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot continue to jail immigrants awaiting deportation whose home countries either will not accept them or no longer exist.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington announced today that it is offering attorneys to accompany any individuals in the state who are questioned by officials as part of a U.S. Department of Justice "dragnet" investigation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington today filed a freedom of information request with the federal Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seeking information about recent immigration sweeps across Washington.

The ACLU opposes the REAL ID Act, which will lead to a de facto national identity card, and threaten the privacy of personal information.

The ACLU announced that the US government has apologized to an Iraqi refugee whom federal agents unlawfully arrested.

On September 12, 2008, in Tukwila, Washington, over 250 people took the oath to become naturalized U.S. citizens—in time to vote in the November elections. The ceremony is the result of a class action lawsuit brought by The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, and the law firms of Stoel Rives and Ropes and Gray.

Sexual harassment and discrimination are serious problems faced by many Latina women working in the fields and packing plants, and often they do not realize such behavior is against the law. The ACLU-WA has joined with other social justice organizations to form the Amparo Project to combat sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination experienced by farmworkers and other low-wage workers in Washington.