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STOP
THE NEW "PATRIOT ACT II"
Contact Congress Immediately
February 26, 2003
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ISSUE:
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has drafted an 86-page bill,
which seeks to give the Federal government new, sweeping powers to
increase domestic intelligence gathering, surveillance and law
enforcement prerogatives while decreasing judicial review and
public access to information as a way to fight domestic terrorism.
The draft bill, known officially as the "Domestic Security
Enhancement Act of 2003," has not been publicly released by
the Department of Justice. However,
DOJ personnel are currently briefing Congressional staff about
this matter. The new draft bill would essentially broaden
the powers already provided to the Department of Justice under the
post 9-11 "USA Patriot Act" that gave the government
unprecedented powers that intrude on our civil liberties.
If adopted, the proposed bill would directly threaten our civil
liberties and basic constitutional rights by removing important
checks on government surveillance authority, reduce the
ccountability of government to the public by increasing government
secrecy, further undermine fundamental constitutional rights of
Americans under an already overbroad definition of
"terrorism," and seriously erode the right of all
persons to due process of law.
Among the most concerning provisions contemplated by the
Department of Justice is the ability of the Federal government to
strip even native-born Americans of all of the rights of U.S.
citizenship, allowing them to be indefinitely imprisoned in their
own country as undocumented aliens. Activities that could
invite such punishment include providing material support for an
organization, including a domestic organization, labeled as a
terrorist organization by the government, even if the support was
only for the lawful activities of that organization.
The bill would allow for summary deportations without evidence of
crime, criminal intent or terrorism, even of lawful permanent
residents, whom the Attorney General deems as a threat to national
security. A person facing removal, according to the draft bill,
would be separated from his or her family and community without
ever being able to effectively answer the government’s true
reasons for labeling him or her a security risk.
RESPONSE:
NAAA-ADC supports the Federal government's legitimate efforts to
protect American citizens against the threat of domestic and
international terrorism and would like to work with the Department
of Justice to determine ways to ensure the safety of all
Americans. However, NAAA-ADC is seriously concerned about
reports that the Department of Justice is seeking from Congress
increased powers to monitor and detain American citizens.
Such efforts would do little to combat terrorism while further
eroding constitutional rights and civil rights protections
currently guaranteed under U.S. laws. Therefore, NAAA-ADC
opposes the "Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003"
and other related "Patriot Act II" legislation currently
circulating on Capitol Hill.
TAKE ACTION:
Write to your members of Congress and ask them to reject the
Department of Justice's draft legislative proposal that threatens
our constitutional rights under the guise of combating terrorism.
Send a letter via email to your two Senators and one
Representative by linking to www.naaa-adc.org.
The first "USA Patriot Act" passed Congress at a fearful
time in America’s history and with little Congressional
deliberation. It is
the basic responsibility of members of Congress to seriously
challenge any additional legislation that could potentially
marginalize the U.S. constitution, weaken the Bill of Rights, and
undermine the American system of checks and balances. Make
your views heard immediately. Together, we will make a
difference.
BE INFORMED:
Be an informed citizen. Find out about what this proposal is
asking Americans to give up in terms of civil rights, privacy, and
other liberties that we take for granted. Use this
information when meeting with your members of Congress and
Congressional staff.
For a section-by-section analysis of the draft bill, visit the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) website at:
http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=11835&c=206
To view a copy of the Department of Justice’s proposal visit:
http://www.dailyrotten.com/source-docs/patriot2draft.html
To obtain more details, visit the Center for Public Integrity:
http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/report.asp?
ReportID=502&L1=10&L2=10&L3=0&L4=0&L5=0
--------------------------------------
NAAA-ADC, the government affairs affiliate of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
4201 Connecticut Ave., N.W.,
Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20008
Tel: (202) 244-2990
Fax: (202) 244-3196
WWW.NAAA-ADC.org
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