Congress Must Act Now to Reform the Patriot Act

RIGHTS WORKING GROUP

1120 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20036

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Congress Must Act Now to Reform the Patriot Act

CONTACT: Keith Rushing, 202.591.3305

Communications Manager  

Rights Working Group        
krushing@rightsworkinggroup.org

WASHINGTON, DC (May 23, 2011) – Rights Working Group (RWG) urges Congress to reform or repeal the three most dangerous provisions of the Patriot Act which are scheduled to expire at the end of this week.  In a closed-door deal last week, Senate and House leaders agreed to reauthorize these provisions without instituting much needed reforms to protect constitutionally guaranteed privacy rights.  The Senate will vote on the deal this week.  “The Patriot Act grants the government unfettered surveillance authority.  Congress must seize the opportunity to reform this overbroad legislation that has repeatedly been misused by federal law enforcement to engage in racial profiling of American citizens and residents,” said Margaret Huang, Executive Director of Rights Working Group.

Under the deal reached by Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Representative John Boehner (R-Ohio) Congress would reauthorize the expiring Patriot Act provisions without including amendments to create civil liberties reforms until 2015.  The three provisions in question, which lack meaningful civil rights and civil liberties safeguards, involve roving wiretaps, the library records provision that allows the government to access any tangible thing during an investigation, and the lone wolf provision.  The roving wiretap and library records provisions have repeatedly been abused by federal authorities who have used them to engage in racial and religious profiling.  The lone wolf provision has never been used and the Obama Administration has not made a convincing argument as to why it should be reauthorized. 

Rights Working Group urges Congress to reform the Patriot Act.  Specifically:

• Congress should reauthorize the Patriot Act only with amendments that protect the civil rights and civil liberties of American communities and curtail the unchecked surveillance powers of federal law enforcement authorities.
• Congress should introduce and pass the "End Racial Profiling Act," which would prohibit profiling based on race, religion, national origin and ethnicity by federal, state and local police and make these prohibitions applicable to law enforcement’s surveillance activities.
• The Department of Justice must strengthen its 2003 Guidance on the Use of Race by Federal Law Enforcement Agencies to prohibit all forms of racial profiling, including racial profiling with regard to law enforcement’s surveillance powers.

“The Patriot Act, passed in the aftermath of Sept. 11, significantly curtailed civil liberties and rights that historicallyhave been protected by the U.S. Constitution,” said Huang. “Instead of reauthorizing the law’s troublesome provisions until 2015, Congress should take the time it needs to amend the law and restore civil rights and civil liberties to all Americans.”

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Formed in the aftermath of September 11th, Rights Working Group is a national coalition of nearly 300 organizations from across the country representing civil liberties, national security, immigrant rights and human rights advocates.  RWG seeks to restore due process and human rights protections that have eroded since 9/11, ensuring that the rights of all people in the U.S. are respected regardless of citizenship or immigration status, race, national origin, religion or ethnicity.