The Antelope Valley Times

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ACLU sues federal government on behalf of immigration activists

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LOS ANGELES – The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California has filed suit against the federal government on behalf of three immigration activists who allege they were placed on a watch list for their work along the border, according to court papers obtained Wednesday.

The complaint, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles federal court, seeks a judge’s ruling that any information allegedly gathered by the government on plaintiffs Nora Elizabeth Phillips, Erika Da Cruz Pinheiro and Nathaniel Garrett Dennison be expunged and that an order is issued to cease spying on them.

A request for comment sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately answered.

According to the suit, beginning in October, the government operation secretly tracked the trio’s movements and actions, allegedly leading to them being harassed and detained at the border. In some cases, they were refused entry to Mexico or forced from that country if already there, according to the ACLU.

“To the Trump administration, compassion is a crime,” said Mohammad Tajsar, staff attorney at the ACLU SoCal. “Not content to shut the country’s doors to vulnerable families seeking refuge, the government launched a secret spying program to punish lawyers and activists who dared to provide for the basic welfare of migrants wanting a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”

The three plaintiffs are:

— Nora Phillips, a co-founder of the non-profit organization Al Otro Lado based in Los Angeles County that provides legal and mental health services to migrants and immigrants;

— Erika Pinheiro, co-founder of Al Otro Lado, who organizes legal clinics in Tijuana, Mexico; and

— Nathaniel Dennison, a documentary filmmaker, shelter volunteer, and founder of the Through My Eyes foundation.

“Not only is this administration going after refugees and migrants, it’s going after the helpers too,” Phillips said in a statement. “I’m just trying to do my job.”

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4 comments for "ACLU sues federal government on behalf of immigration activists"

  1. These people should go to jail. They are helping them commit fraud. Just enforce the laws on the books.

  2. Nora Phillips, a co-founder of the non-profit organization Al Otro Lado based in Los Angeles County that provides legal and mental health services to (ILLEGAL) migrants and (ILLEGAL) immigrants;

    I fixed it…..

    It’s all about them cashing in on a situation anyway. If there were no money to be had, most “activists” would disappear.

  3. I’m glad the government is keeping an eye on people aiding and abetting criminal activity. I also note that nowhere in this story is it acknowledged that the “migrants” and “immigrants” have illegally crossed the border making them illegal aliens.

  4. Mexican citizens (55 percent polled) call for the deportation of illegals. 64 percent call them a burden.

    * Washington Post/Reforma poll.