NYCLU Statement on FBI Infiltration of NYC Court Monitor Group 

NEW YORK CITY — In response to new reporting this morning that the FBI infiltrated the private signal chat of a group monitoring ICE activity at immigration courts, the New York Civil Liberties Union released the following statement from Executive Director Donna Lieberman:

“The FBI baselessly spying on New Yorkers for their constitutionally-protected activism and association is a return to the discredited, dangerous — and often lawless — overreach of the McCarthy and Hoover eras. Labeling peaceful court monitors ‘violent extremists’ shows that the FBI under Trump, Bondi, and Patel is either delusional or, more likely, willfully misusing its enormous powers.

“The NYPD needs to immediately explain its role in this, which is unclear from today’s reporting. The NYPD must also reject the unacceptable political basis for this kind of investigation. The NYCLU has won landmark cases against the NYPD for spying on New Yorkers for their religious and political beliefs. New Yorkers have the right to know whose interests the department is serving.

“Let’s be clear, ICE is a rogue, secretive, and abusive agency that has been misusing courts like those at 26 Federal Plaza for its cruel agenda. Court monitoring isn’t just important because it attempts to deliver some measure of transparency, it is also First Amendment-protected activity.”