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Our lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. Read the latest on the ACLU of Northern California’s work. To schedule a press interview, call (415) 621-2493 or contact press@aclunc.org.

People in CDCR custody attend a class
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Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Californians Sue State Prison System For Illegally Discriminating Against People Suspected of Being Born Outside the U.S.

Apr 27, 2023
A lawsuit filed in California Superior Court claims that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) unlawfully discriminates against hundreds of people each year in its wholly voluntary efforts to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). CDCR refers people in its custody to ICE for detention and deportation after they have served their time in prison, contributing ... Read More
Immigration Detention Center
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Detained Individuals Forced to Pause Hunger Strike at Central Valley Immigration Detention Facilities, Following Weeks of Retaliation and Medical Negligence

Mar 29, 2023
People detained at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield and the Golden State Annex in McFarland have put a pause on a month-long hunger strike protesting inhumane conditions at the two immigration detention facilities, as a result of being subjected to weeks of retaliation from ICE and GEO Group, the for-profit prison company that owns and operates the facilities. Read More
Immigrant Detention Center
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After Hours of Violent Abuse, ICE and GEO Group Abruptly Transfer Four Mesa Verde Hunger Strikers to Texas

Mar 08, 2023
Shortly after 6 a.m. on March 7, 2023, GEO Group officers, dressed in full protective riot gear with hard plastic face coverings and carrying batons and pepper spray, entered Dorm C of Mesa Verde ICE Processing Facility, and attempted to force certain hunger strikers to leave the dorm. Nearly two hours later, officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), accompanied by other officers we... Read More
Immigrant Detention Center
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Hunger Strikers in Central Valley Immigration Detention Facilities File Class Action Lawsuit Against ICE, GEO Group for Illegal Retaliation

Feb 24, 2023
Five people detained at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, Calif., and the Golden State Annex in McFarland, Calif., have filed a class action lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and GEO Group, the private, for-profit prison company that owns and operates the detention centers. They allege that they and other detained people have faced retaliation, including ... Read More
Immigrant Detention Center
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Seventy-seven Detained Immigrants Launch Hunger Strike at Two Central Valley Facilities, Protest Unpaid Labor and Inhumane Conditions

Feb 17, 2023
Seventy-seven individuals detained at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield and the Golden State Annex in McFarland launched a joint hunger strike demanding the immediate release of all individuals detained at the facilities and the shutdown of both detention centers, owned and operated by the private prison contractor GEO Group. Read More
ACLU of Northern CA
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California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Rolls out Discriminatory Beard Policy Revoking Religious and Medical Accommodations

Feb 09, 2023
The Sikh Coalition and the ACLU Foundation of Northern California sent a letter urging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to revise its discriminatory policy prohibiting full beards to accommodate staff who are either unable to shave due to a medical condition or who must maintain facial hair for religious reasons. Read More
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ACLU of Northern California Files Complaint Against Loleta USD on Behalf of Tribe for Discrimination of Indigenous Students

Dec 05, 2022
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights on behalf of the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria regarding repeated acts of discrimination against Native American students and students with disabilities in Loleta Union School District. The complaint reveals troubling patterns of racial hostilit... Read More