NYCLU | Activism

America's immigration system is broken. After decades of ignoring the problem, our country faces the reality of tens of millions of documented and undocumented immigrants facing routine violations of their basic human and civil rights. With so many forced to live in the shadows of society, Americans often forget about the civil rights crisis taking place across the US—and throughout New York State. Together with allies from across the political spectrum, the NYCLU supports a comprehensive reform of our immigration system that will finally respect fundamental civil rights and liberties. Fill out the quick form below to join together with your neighbors in communities throughout New York State to push our representatives to make these long overdue changes during this Congress. Congress must:

• Create a meaningful path to legal status for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. With families torn apart, due process and fairness ignored, and millions denied basic rights and services, a path to legalization is the only way to assure our country does not create a permanent underclass of second-class residents with second-class rights.
• Restore basic fairness into the immigration system. Laws regulating immigration passed before and after 9/11 have worked to build a system where judges are prevented from hearing certain immigration cases, immigrants—including those documented—are held for years or deported without a hearing and without access to lawyers, children are torn from their parents, and individuals are held in jails in subhuman conditions. Congress must restore basic fairness, due process, and fundamental rights to the immigration system.
• End local enforcement of immigration law. The trend of local law enforcement agencies taking on immigration enforcement roles is dangerous and must come to an end. With a troubling record of racial profiling, an increase in costly immigration mistakes, and the creation of a climate of fear that discourages immigrant communities from sharing information with law enforcement, Congress must stop local communities from enforcing federal immigration law.
• Prevent all backdoor efforts to create a national identity card. Leading lawmakers, including Senate Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), have proposed requiring every American worker, citizen and noncitizen, to apply for a “forgery-proof” worker ID card with biometric data such as fingerprints or iris scans. Congress must reject any effort to create such a national identity card. We cannot sacrifice all Americans' civil rights for political expediency's sake.

The NYCLU will be putting extensive resources into advancing a comprehensive immigration reform package that protects Americans' civil rights and liberties. Join us in this historic moment for civil rights. To apply for a position as an NYCLU Activist Task Force member, please fill out this form. An NYCLU staff member will be in touch with you soon to discuss next steps! All information submitted to the NYCLU is confidential and will not be shared with any third-parties.