Protecting Immigrant Rights - the ACLU

A major aspect to the immigration debate that is constantly in debate at Congress and that has been addressed in my previous blogs are immigrant rights. According from the Census Bureau and Homeland Security, in 2005 approximately 1,122,373 people obtained legal resident status in the United States. Over one million people! 53,378 people arrived as refugees in 2005. On a different note, up to 1,291,142 people were found and deported in 2005. All these numbers go to show the massive amounts of people who enter the United States. With so many people entering, their rights need to be protected.

One of the organizations whose goals are to protect immigrant rights is the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The ACLU has four missions it identifies on its website (http://www.aclu.org). These are to protect:

• Your First Amendment rights-freedom of speech, association and assembly. Freedom of the press, and freedom of religion supported by the strict separation of church and state.
• Your right to equal protection under the law - equal treatment regardless of race, sex, religion or national origin.
• Your right to due process - fair treatment by the government whenever the loss of your liberty or property is at stake.
• Your right to privacy - freedom from unwarranted government intrusion into your personal and private affairs.

With regards to immigrant rights, ACLU has published on their website this statement:

"It is true that the Constitution does not give foreigners the right to enter the U.S. But once here, it protects them from discrimination based on race and national origin and from arbitrary treatment by the government. Immigrants work and pay taxes; legal immigrants are subject to the military draft. Many immigrants have lived in this country for decades, married U.S. citizens, and raised their U.S.-citizen children. Laws that punish them violate their fundamental right to fair and equal treatment.
As considered guardians of freedom, the ACLU stands firm to protect the rights of immigrants who are currently living within the United States to the same standards of any other U.S. citizen based upon the liberties and freedoms granted by the Constitution."

The ACLU has contributed to many of the debates facing the immigration issue in current news. Recently the ACLU has questioned the U.S. government why Dr. Jorge Bustamente, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations, was denied access to inspect the Hutto immigrant detention facility that is located in Texas. ACLU argues it is an essential component to ensuring that fair and equal treatment is giving to these prisoners and also that international visitors be allowed to see facilities like Hutto.

Another issue of the ongoing immigration debate the ACLU is an active member of is the right of immigrants to marry. The ACLU recently brought a case to the Pennsylvania courts against Dorothy Stankovic on account of U.S. citizen Heather Buck, and Jose Arias-Maravilla, a citizen of Mexico, who were seeking a marriage license. The judge ruled that the a county official cannot deny a marriage license although one of the parties seeking the license do not have a visa or a green card. Jose Arias-Maravilla, however, will not have a changed immigrant status as a result of the marriage license. John Gragon was an attorney on the case of the ACLU and said, “We are very gratified by the judge's decision. It affirms the Constitution and commonsense.”

ACLU is an organization that any immigrant can refer to for their rights when living inside the United States. They work to ensure that the civil liberties of all people are protected, which are given by the Constitution. There are many opportunities to engage in politically that are organized by the ACLU to ensure protection of immigrant rights.