LCHR | US Law & Security - Civil Liberties after 9/11

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LCHR has written a series of reports on the erosion of civil liberties in the U.S. since 9/11. The three reports, and the dates they cover, are:

Assessing the New Normal
3/03 to 9/03

Imbalance of Powers
9/02 to 3/03

A Year of Loss
9/01 to 9/02

Yaser Hamdi:
Background on His Case

‘Special Registration’ Requirement Suspended (12/02/03)

Afghanistan: Deaths of Prisoners Held In US Custody Amplify Torture (11/21/03)

LCHR Rebuts Attorney General’s USA PATRIOT Speech

Padilla v. Rumsfeld:
Three Legal Briefs
Challenging President's Ability to Detain U.S. Citizen Without Charge (July 2003)

Appeals Court Authorizes Secret Arrests (6/17/03)

LCHR Letter to Ashcroft Re. Detention Without Charge (6/4/03)

Justice Department Report Confirms Abuses Against 9-11 Detainees

Supreme Court Allows Secret Deportation Hearings To Stand (5/27/03)

Military Commission Rules Fail to Include Fair Trial Guarantees (5/23/03)

LCHR Urges Attorney General to Release Report on Treatment of Post 9-11 Detainees (5/20/03)

Attorney General Ashcroft Calls for Blanket Detention of Haitian Asylum Seekers (4/25/03)

Lawyers Committee Condemns Arrests and Detention of Dissidents in Cuba (4/9/03)

Egypt: Torture of Anti-War Demonstrators Continues (3/26/03)

Recent Victory for Haitian Refugees Thwarted by Department of Homeland Security (3/21/03)

“Operation Liberty Shield” Turns Liberty on its Head (3/18/03)

Developments in the Cases of Security Detainees Held by the U.S. Government (3/11/03)

LCHR U.S. Law and Security Work from 9/01 to 12/02

US Law & Security

Lawyers Committee Urges Secretary Ridge to Rescind New Detention Policy

On March 20, 2003, the Lawyers Committee sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expressing concern regarding the recent announcement that the Department of Homeland Security has begun implementing a blanket policy to detain asylum seekers from certain unspecified countries, as part of “Operation Liberty Shield.” While recognizing the critical importance of the Department’s mission in protecting the United States from harm, the letter states that this mission can be accomplished in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. Stating that this new policy fails that test, the Lawyers Committee urges Secretary Ridge to rescind the policy.

The letter states, in part:
“The Lawyers Committee is familiar with many cases of refugees who have fled torture and repression by regimes in countries such as Iraq, and other countries where terrorist groups like al Queda are active. Jailing these refugees, based solely on their nationality, during the pendency of their immigration proceedings will further traumatize many who continue to suffer the effects of the persecution and mistreatment they fled.”

Read the full text of the letter