News & Commentary

Unprecedented measures have been taken to protect youth throughout the country during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the response is leaving a group of young people behind: The over 160 Nevada youth held in the custody of state-run facilities and thousands more held in county and local detention centers and camps.

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.

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.

People in prisons and jails are uniquely vulnerable to coronavirus. Officials must act quickly to pull together a plan to ensure the safety of incarcerated people, medical staff, and correctional officers.

An officer sued DeRay Mckesson. The lawsuit, which should have been swiftly dismissed, now threatens the First Amendment rights of millions.

The ACLU will be watching closely to make sure the government's response is ​scientifically justified and no more intrusive on civil liberties than absolutely necessary.

Celebrating Black History Month means celebrating those who act in defense of human dignity.

By Ezekiel Edwards, Director, ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project & Shilpi Agarwal, Interim Legal and Policy Director and Senior Staff Attorney

In March, the ACLU will be in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to defend the right to a day in court for asylum seekers and other vulnerable noncitizens.