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| June 07, 2004 |
24th Jeth, 536 Nanakshahi |
NEWS RELEASE
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Newark, NJ - UNITED SIKHS campaigns for the rights of immigrants in the United States of America by affirming its support for the CLRA.
UNITED SIKHS, along with other civil rights, human rights and immigrant rights groups, firmly assert their support for the Civil Liberties Restoration Act on June 16th, 2004. Meeting in Newark at the press conference room of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, UNITED SIKHS shared its commitment to campaign against the erosion of civil liberties of immigrants and residents of the United States of America through provisions enacted by the Patriot Act and other restrictive policies adopted by the U.S. Government post 9/11. Organizations such as the ACLU, the NJ Immigration Policy Network, CAIR-NJ, American Islamic Association, American Friends Service Committee, Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey and representatives of Senator John Corzine's office among others, shared their commitment to restoring the civil rights entitled to citizens and immigrants alike through acts such as the CLRA.
Manvinder Singh, Assistant Director of Bias Crimes for UNITED SIKHS, affirmed that the Sikh community was in support of initiatives such as the CLRA, which seek to restore the founding principles taken away and neglected in the post-9/11 panic. "The Sikh community should extend full support to the CLRA and other bills that seek to restore the human and civil rights that are entitled to every human being according to the United States of America Constitution. These rights are not only a matter of law, but also of principles that are mirrored in the principles of Sikhism."
UNITED SIKHS urges everyone in the Sikh community, as well as all the residents of the United States of America, immigrant or citizen, to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and voice their support for the CLRA and for an end to the deprivation of the rights that are rightfully theirs (see additional information below on how to contact your U.S. Senators/Representatives).
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What is the CLRA?
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In an effort to restore many of the civil rights taken away from immigrant communities by the Patriot Act (signed into law in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist actions), UNITED SIKHS has endorsed the Civil Liberties Restoration Act (CLRA). The Patriot Act, allowed for many actions that are illegal according to the U.S. Constitution. The CLRA seeks the following amendments to the Patriot Act:
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End Secret Hearings. The CLRA would end the government's ability to issue a blanket order closing all deportation hearings to the public and to family members of detainees, while permitting the closure of hearings or a portion of hearings on a case-by-case basis to preserve the confidentiality of asylum applications or when national security interests so require. (Sec. 101)
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Ensure Due Process for Detained Individuals. The CLRA would provide minimum due process safeguards to individuals who are jailed on suspicion of immigration violations by giving them timely notice of the charges against them and assure that immigration authorities and judges make fair, individualized bond determinations. (Sec. 201, 202 and 203)
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Establish Independent Immigration Court. The CLRA would establish an independent immigration court within the Department of Justice and promote fair hearings by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal. (Sec. 204)
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End Special Registration. The CLRA would terminate the troubled National Security Entry-Exit Registration System while encouraging fairness and a concentrated focus on those who pose a threat to the national security or safety of Americans. (Sec. 301 and 302)
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Make Penalties Commensurate with Violations. The CLRA would assign reasonable penalties, commensurate to the technical nature of the violations, for non-citizens failure to register or provide timely notification of address changes. (Sec. 303)
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Require Accurate Criminal Databases. The CLRA would facilitate better law enforcement practices by requiring that the National Crime Information Center database relied upon daily by state and local law enforcement complies with minimum accuracy requirements. (Sec. 304)
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Ensure Access to Evidence. The CLRA would ensure that people who are charged with a crime based upon national security surveillance under the Patriot Act would see the evidence against them in the same manner as people charged with a crime based upon other kinds of classified information. (Sec. 401)
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Mandate Reports on Data-Mining. The CLRA would require the government to submit a public report to Congress on data-mining activities in order to protect the privacy and due process rights of individuals and to ensure accurate information is collected and used. (Sec. 402)
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Limit Secret Seizures of Records. The House version of the CLRA would amend the USA PATRIOT Act to limit the secret seizure of private databases and individual records to cases where the government has shown there is a reasonable connection to a suspected terrorist or terrorist group. (Sec. 403 in House version)
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