25 Years After 9/11: The More Things Change, the More the Fight Stays the Same

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2026

Twenty-five years ago, September 11 changed America. The loss of civilian lives on that day was an unspeakable tragedy.

But instead of coming together as a country, what followed was more calamity. Arab-Americans, treated by law enforcement and many of their fellow Americans as guilty solely based on their identity, were subjected to an unprecedented wave of discrimination, surveillance, and civil rights violations.

In the weeks after the September 11 attacks, ADC documented more than 700 violent incidents targeting Arab Americans, or those perceived to be Arab. Reports of employment discrimination quadrupled.

But the most lasting transformation was happening inside our government. As ADC warned at the time, fear could serve as the basis or, worse yet, an excuse to weaken the very freedoms America claimed to be defending.

ADC’s concerns unfortunately became reality. Congress passed the PATRIOT Act, which dramatically expanded surveillance and investigative powers, eroding Americans’ civil rights. Arab and Muslim communities – in particular – faced profiling, detention, and government scrutiny based on their identities and religious affiliation. All Americans, however, have been affected by the diminished protections resulting from poorly thought out legislation enacted quickly in a state of panic.

Beyond that, the United States spent more than $8 trillion on wars that were predicated upon falsehoods, and have proven financially disastrous. Today, our national debt has exceeded $40 trillion, while our standard of living has precipitously declined. The spending on wars of aggression cannot be extricated from this unfathomable level of debt that could cripple future generations.

War has once again engulfed the Middle East: billions more continue to flow toward U.S. military assistance to Israel, even as the genocide against the Palestinian people continues – a direct violation of our own Leahy laws. And the United States has been pulled into yet another war of aggression, also based upon the lie that Iran was mere weeks away from achieving nuclear capabilities.

Meanwhile, at home, the constitutional battles feel painfully familiar. The expansion of the surveillance state and erosion of civil liberties and constitutional rights that began in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 continues to be weaponized against Americans today. In fact, advances in technology have made it easier to punish those who dissent from government policy. The more our lives are documented in smartphones and accessible through the internet, the more vulnerable our privacy and liberty becomes to government intrusion.

Students have faced punishment for protesting Israel’s genocide in Palestine. Workers and professors have faced retaliation over protected political speech from powerful government actions. Journalists face government surveillance, searches, and intimidation for reporting content that conflicts with the government’s foreign policy agendas.

And ADC is challenging all of these government abuses in courts of law.

That is why ADC’s work is as relevant as it was 25 years ago, and perhaps more necessary.

This fight belongs not only to Arab Americans, although we may be the government’s primary targets. A government that can weaken constitutional protections for one community creates the conditions to do so for all Americans.

ADC continues to fight for our rights in the face of enormous pressure to back down. We do so because we have hope that we can prevent the government from shredding the Constitution, continuing wars of aggression, and destroying our children’s futures through crippling debt accumulated by cynical politicians who will never bear the consequences.

For 45 years, ADC has fought for an America where national security does not become an excuse to abandon the Constitution, where dissent is protected rather than punished, and where no community must surrender its rights because those in power have decided it is dangerous or inconvenient.

We were there after 9/11. We were there during the Muslim Ban. We are here today.

And we intend to make sure that 25 years from now, we are not still fighting the same battles.