News & Commentary

DETROIT – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed a Freedom of Information Act request today seeking records from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the illegal detention of a U.S. citizen and his mother who is a legal permanent resident. The Grand Rapids residents, who are Latino, were handcuffed and assaulted by ICE agents even though they produced driver’s licenses to prove their identities. “Fairness and equality are the most fundamental values we share as Americans. There's nothing fair or equal about arresting citizens because of the color of their skin,” said Miriam Aukerman, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney. “We are deeply concerned that this mother and son were victims of racial profiling. It’s imperative that we understand what led to this abuse of power and what policies are in place to protect Michigan residents.” In February, Telma Valdez, who has lived in the United States for almost 22 years, and her son, Luis Valdez, a college student at Grand Rapids Community College who was born in the U.S., drove to the home of relatives to allow their 6-year-old cousin to play with Luis’s new puppy. As they pulled the car into the driveway, unidentified ICE agents ran toward them. An agent pointed a gun at Luis and ordered him to show ID. Both Luis and Telma produced their valid driver’s license and ICE agents demanded that they get out of the car. Telma was handcuffed and escorted to the back of the car where an agent held a gun to her back and repeatedly banged her head into the trunk of the car yelling at her to admit she was “Irma.” Telma screamed out in pain and fear. Luis was handcuffed, and both Luis and Telma were escorted into an apartment. Inside the apartment, Luis again tried to explain that he was a U.S. citizen and Telma told agents that she had her green card with her. Soon after retrieving the card, agents realized that they had arrested a U.S. citizen and legal permanent resident. Agents released the two, but not before one agent threatened Telma that she risked losing her legal status if she told her story to anyone. “ICE agents take an oath to uphold the law, not violate people's rights,” said Kary L. Moss, ACLU of Michigan executive director. “It’s not a crime to be Latino in this country. However, from Arizona to Michigan, the stories of racial profiling, intimidation and illegal detention are proof that what happened to Luis and Telma is not unique.” Today’s FOIA request asks ICE to hand over all records relating to the coordination and execution of the February raid. In addition, the ACLU requested all supervision and training materials, as well as all policies and protocols related to racial profiling, and the procedures and standards for interrogating individuals or verifying their identity and immigration status. Key News and Documents Read our Freedom of Information Act Request to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Know Your Rights When Encountering the Police, Immigration or the FBI

Broken laws, broken lives, and a broken system. In this week's Rights Review, we hear what the former Mayor of Detroit thinks of our work. Also, are you mad about Michigan's law allowing discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity? 

The American Civil Liberties Union and Yale University have teamed up to defend students right to access information as part of their Don’t Filter Me Project. Schools across the country have been using web filters to block educational websites supportive of LGBT issues, including schools right here in Michigan. These illegal filters essentially silence LGBT voices from schools.

It's not always easy keeping up to date on all the civil liberties issues we deal with. That's why once a week, we run down recent news and events in our Rights Review. This week we're shocked at news that puts health care for Michigan workers at risk, we're letting free speech out of its cage and asking the question: why hasn't your privacy been protected since MacGyver was on air?

Whether articulating an opinion or crying out against injustice, the human voice is one of the most precious things protected by the Bill of Rights. 50 years ago, bands of activists fought for civil rights in the segregated South. Read on to learn about the ACLU of Michigan's link to the Freedom Riders. This week we're hearing opinions on our current cases and honoring those who risked injury for justice.

Civil liberties abuses are often felt first by the most vulnerable segments of our society.

With incredible cases and an amazing amount of support from civil liberties fans, it seems like we've been working around the clock.

Defending our essential civil liberties from being taken away is always important ...but some weeks make us especially proud.

In a sea of Planned-Parenthood-pink during a visit with Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow during the Stand Up for Women’s Health Lobby Day, a young man raised his hand and asked the million dollar question – why should men be involved in the fight for women’s reproductive health? It was a good question, with a complicated answer, but one that would be a game-changer for women’s equality. Sen. Stabenow answered that men have to share responsibility for birth control in a relationship and men have to be concerned about sexually transmitted infections. And it’s so much more than that. So how do we answer the question for this obviously enlightened young man and those like him who rode a bus for 12 hours from Detroit to Washington, D.C., to spend six hours at a rally defending family planning? Men, who now dominate congressional leadership, are in the position to make decisions that most critically affect the reproductive rights of women in America. Women have never come close to representing our 51 percent of the population in elected positions and the 2010 election cycle was especially brutal across the nation with regards to equal representation. And as much as we hate to admit it, we exist in a society where decision-making power and earning power continue to be dominated by men. Therefore: