ACLU OF MINNESOTA SEEKS RECORDS ABOUT FBI COLLECTION OF RACIAL AND ETHNIC DATA

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota today asked the FBI to turn over records related to the agency's collection and use of race and ethnicity data in local communities in both Minnesota and North Dakota. According to a 2008 FBI operations guide, FBI agents have the authority to collect information about and map so-called "ethnic-oriented" businesses, behaviors, lifestyle characteristics and cultural traditions in communities with concentrated ethnic populations. While some racial and ethnic data collection by some agencies might be helpful in lessening discrimination, the FBI's attempt to collect and map demographic data using race-based criteria for targeting purposes invites unconstitutional racial profiling by law enforcement, says the ACLU. read more...

ACLU OF MINNESOTA ISSUES ALERT TO STATE RESIDENTS TRAVELLING TO ARIZONA

St. Paul, Minn - In response to civil liberties threats caused by the recent passage of Arizona's racial profiling law, the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota issued a travel alert today informing Minnesota residents of their rights when stopped by law enforcement when traveling in Arizona. The unconstitutional law, known as SB 1070, requires law enforcement agents to demand "papers" from people they stop who they suspect are not authorized to be in the U.S. If individuals are unable to prove to officers that they are permitted to be in the U.S., they may be subject to warrantless arrest without any probable cause that they have committed a crime. read more...