Immigrants' Rights
The Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to all “people” in the country--this is the word the founders used--not just citizens.
For over a century, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that non-citizens are "persons" under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Those Amendments say no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law. They guarantee all persons the equal protection of the laws--even those persons who are not here lawfully.
In states, cities, and towns across the United States, there is a growing movement to introduce anti-immigrant policies that target immigrants for special law enforcement attention or deny them access to government programs--policies that fuel xenophobia and discrimination. In many places, people who are perceived as looking or sounding foreign--whether or not they are here legally or are US citizens--are refused employment, medical treatment and housing and are harassed by the police.
In the view of the ACLU, eroding the fundamental rights of immigrants is dangerous for us all. Rather than waste resources on unlawful and mean-spirited laws and policing practices, we should collectively fight discrimination and ensure that all residents are treated fairly. For when the government has the power to deny legal rights and due process to one group, the rights of everyone are put at risk.
Recent Legal Cases
Finch v. Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority
Freedom can't
Or tweet
