News & Commentary

Each of the 37,000 people currently detained by ICE are at severe risk of contracting COVID-19. We must immediately reduce the numbers of people in immigration detention, starting by releasing the most vulnerable to serious illness or death.

Any legislation addressing the impact of COVID-19 on our elections must include immediate federal funding and requirements for no-excuse mail-in absentee voting and early in-person voting.

You can't tell someone's immigration status by how they look or sound — that's called racial profiling, and it is unconstitutional.

We need to protect rights and liberties at the border to keep communities safe.

Public health experts have encouraged stakeholders in the criminal legal system to minimize the number of people entering the system in the first place, while also releasing individuals in prisons and jails most vulnerable to the virus.

There can be no meaningful oversight or accountability with such excessive, undemocratic secrecy.

We're suing the state of Montana because a new law violates the state constitutional right to vote, freedom of speech and freedom of association, and its vague and over-broad restrictions violate due process.

Coronavirus should not be a political issue, but with presidential primaries and the general election coming up, it could soon directly impact our politics. We should protect not only our health, but our civil liberties at this time — and one of those civil liberties is our fundamental right to vote. For many, the best way to vote while safeguarding your health during this time may be to vote by mail. It’s easy to request an absentee ballot and there’s still enough time to do so for most states with upcoming primaries. While some states limit who can vote absentee — for example, to people with health issues, disabilities, or other circumstances that may prevent them from voting in person — most states allow anyone to vote this way. If you live in a state with an upcoming primary where it is still possible to apply to vote absentee, find the date by which your application for an absentee ballot must be received and other requirements below.* Remember that public health officials recommend that you not lick absentee ballot envelopes, but instead use a wet sponge or cloth to seal them.

Warrantless access to unavoidably shed DNA is a troubling trend in police investigations.