Washington, DC | www.adc.org | November 22, 2016 – The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) submitted a letter co-signed by nearly 200 organizations to President Barack Obama, calling on his administration to rescind the regulatory framework behind the National Security Exit-Entry Registration System (NSEERS). The letter was submitted on behalf nearly 200 civil and human rights, civil liberties, education, social justice, and inter-faith organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Leadership Conference on Civil Human Rights, American Immigration Council, Center for American Progress (CAP), National Council of La Raza, the National Immigration Forum (NIF), and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Click here to read the language of the letter and see a full list of signatories.
Click here to view the letter in PDF format
NSEERS was a failed national security program that resulted in civil liberties violations and zero known convictions for terrorism-related crimes. The registration program violated civil liberties through profiling, unlawful arrests, and detentions of individuals who were not even required to register.
ADC Legal & Policy Director Abed Ayoub states, “NSEERS has proven to be a failure and it is time to bring it to an end. Since its inception numerous former government officials, both Republicans and Democrats, have expressed concern and frustration with the program. Man of these same officials agree that the U.S. Government should not engage in any program which is predicated on racial, ethnic and religious profiling. It’s time to close the book on NSEERS and end the program.”
The letter reads in part, “As organizations that represent diverse communities and that are committed to civil and immigrant rights, we firmly believe that removal of the NSEERS framework is a necessary imperative. We ask the Administration to immediately take steps to remove the regulatory structure of NSEERS and stop any future use of the program.”
In April 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) delisted the countries under the NSEERS program, however the regulation was not rescinded. As a result of NSEERS more than 13,000 people were placed into removal proceedings, tearing families and communities apart, and abruptly ended productive jobs and educational aspirations.
Click here for more information about NSEERS
Click here to read The ADC and Penn State NSEERS Report
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