It’s Claudia Wilner again, Director of Litigation and Advocacy at NCLEJ. As we prepare to spend time with friends and family this holiday season, I’d like to share with you a few words about the importance of supporting our high-impact litigation work. Time is running out to help us unlock our $60,000 matching gift. If you’ve already donated, please consider forwarding this message to your contacts!
In 2018, NCLEJ filed a federal lawsuit against ICE, DHS, and the Vermont DMV over an unlawful operation to surveil, harass, and arrest members of Migrant Justice, an organization fighting to empower the migrant farmworker community.
Federal immigration authorities infiltrated meetings of Migrant Justice through a civilian informant, surveilled its members, mined their social media pages for information, and arrested and detained multiple Migrant Justice members in direct retaliation for their activism. These actions violated Migrant Justice members’ First Amendment Rights. The Vermont DMV additionally collaborated with ICE to share personal information on Migrant Justice members applying for Driver Privilege Cards for discriminatory purposes.
In 2020, we reached a major settlement that protected migrant workers rights’ by restricting communication and information-sharing between the DMV and federal immigration agencies, and prohibiting the DMV from retaining copies of birth certificates, passports, and other sensitive information of applicants for Driver Privilege Cards.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
