ACLU outlines how it will fight Trump's mass deportations
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Mexican migrants, Laura Elizabeth and her son, Matias, turn themselves in to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers after crossing over a section of border wall into the U.S. in Ruby, Arizona. Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says it will challenge state laws that make it easier for President-elect Trump to adopt his mass deportation plan and urge other states to put up legal roadblocks to slow mass raids.
Why it matters: The ACLU — the nation's largest civil liberties organization — has the reach to mobilize activists, with chapters in many states, and is expected to be the main litigate to lawsuits against mass deportations.
The big picture: ACLU officials at its southern border affiliated chapters vowed Tuesday it would undergo legal challenges to the construction of new mass detention centers and any effort to erase due process for immigrants facing deportation.
- Officials also say the ACLU will launch a "robust challenge" to expedite removals of immigrants that Trump plans to expand.
- During the first Trump term, the ACLU sued to stop his Muslim travel ban and fight allegations of abuse at immigration detention centers. It brought more than 400 cases against the first Trump administration.
State of play: Arizona and Texas have passed state laws that will make it easier for any mass deportation plan, ACLU advocates say.
Case in point: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law in 2023 that authorizes state officials to arrest and seek the deportation of migrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without legal authorization.
- Critics say it is unconstitutional and could lead to racial profiling.
The other side: Abbott and other GOP governors say the state laws were needed because the federal government under President Biden wasn't doing enough to enforce federal immigration laws.
Reality check: U.S. immigration courts are on pace to decide record numbers of deportation cases — and order the most removals in five years — under Biden's push to fast-track asylum decisions.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 271,000 people last fiscal year — the most in nearly a decade, according to an annual report released last month.
The intrigue: ACLU officials say they expect some Democrats in Congress to support the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies, such as the Laken Riley Act.
- That law would require the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for certain non-violent crimes such as theft.
- The ACLU says it will embark on a public campaign to highlight immigrant voices and "change the narrative."
The ACLU's Border Humanity Project launched last week a new multimedia campaign in southern border states highlighting the stories of asylum seekers who have fled Mexico, El Salvador and Cameroon.
- The "Letters to America" campaign uses the voices and images of immigrants who have escaped violence in their former countries.
- ACLU staff also are conducting "know your rights" workshops in various cities to educate immigrants and advocates on how they can defend themselves.
Behind the scenes: The ACLU is pushing its "Firewall for Freedom" initiative, which advises cities, states, and district attorneys on how they can limit collaboration with federal immigration authorities.
- The plan suggests that governors and legislatures can protect immigrant communities through legal assistance funds, pardon processes and new laws.
