Immigrants' Rights

The Bill of Rights does not grant foreigners the right to enter the United States, but once here, immigrants are entitled to certain, broad protections. These include the right to be treated fairly in court, to free speech and religious freedom, and to be protected from discrimination based on race or national origin.

The ACLU has a long history of challenging the serious civil rights violations faced by immigrant communities. Here in San Diego, that work has been going since 1933. Right now, our country is in the midst of a major debate over immigrants and their place in our economic and political life. As during other dark times in our history, immigrants are blamed for causing or contributing to the social, economic, and political ills of our society. Politicians from both major parties have promoted a range of punitive legislative proposals that single out immigrants for adverse treatment by the government. Many of these proposals violate basic civil liberties and civil rights principles. The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status. When the government has the power to deny these basic rights to one vulnerable group, everyone's rights are at risk. The ACLU is dedicated to expanding and enforcing the civil liberties and civil rights of immigrants, and combating public and private discrimination against them.