19 months after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the University of Rhode Island community discussed the lack of civil liberties caused by the Patriot Act in a forum, according to a Good Five Cent Cigar article titled “Forum addresses civil liberties in post-Patriot Act America” on this day in 2003.
The forum welcomed 40 URI students and community members to a “Neither Safe Nor Free? Civil Liberties in Post-Patriotic Act America” event with a sign that said “Defend Civil Rights Now,” according to the article, reported by then-News Editor Chris Keegan. The discussion was part of a month-long series of statewide public educational forums sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Rhode Island.
Kareem Shoura, a civil liberties attorney with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Nasser Zawia, associate professor of biomedical sciences, raised concerns about how the executive branch had trampled the civil liberties of many Americans under the guise of the USA Patriot Act.
The 342-page Patriot Act was signed into law in October 2001 and effectively expanded federal law enforcement’s surveillance and search and seizure abilities, as well as access to personal records for intelligence purposes, according to Keegan. In November 2001, Shoura said the government began encouraging men of Arab descent who entered the country on non-immigrant visas to submit “voluntary” interviews. The government abused the system by selectively profiling individuals based on religion and national origin.
Shoura said many of those questioned were asked to reveal the addresses of family members and whether or not they were happy about the Sept. 11 attacks, according to Keegan.
“Where did the answers go?” Shoura said in the article. “Where did the names go? Is this America?”
Under the National Security Entry-Exit System enacted in September 2002, citizens and nationals of foreign countries between the ages of 16 and 25 are required to register with Immigration and Naturalization Services, according to Keegan’s article. These individuals, mostly males, are interviewed, fingerprinted and photographed by INS agents. Failure to report by the deadline is considered a crime and could lead to detainment and deportation.
Zawia said the government is not actively supplying INS registration information to Arab communities using public channels, according to Keegan’s article. The names of Arab Americans who overstay their VISAs were being added to criminal databases, even though being convicted on immigration charges was not a criminal offense, according to Shoura in the article. New VISA screening programs allowed under the vestige of the Patriot Act also target Arab men.
The Patriot Act has been eradicated and replaced with the USA Freedom Act, enacted by Former President Barack Obama, on June 2, 2015, according to the House Judiciary Committee. The Freedom Act protects civil liberties by prohibiting all records collected under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act pen register authority and national security letter statutes. The act also prevents government overreach, such as banning large-scale, indiscriminate collection, such as all records from an entire state, city or zip code.
The Freedom Act also improves transparency and better information-sharing with all Americans, according to the House Judiciary Committee. All significant constructions or interpretations of the law must be made public. Everything is controlled by the FISA court and tech companies have options over how they respond to national security orders.
The Freedom Act is still in effect with the most recent reauthorization in 2020 through Dec. 1, 2023, according to Congress.
Recently, the Trump administration attacked the rule of law and basic tenets of democracy, such as deporting United States citizens without due process, according to the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The administration also deployed the National Guard on Feb. 14 to peaceful protests, which is considered a cruel, authoritarian action.
Today, civil liberties are handled by executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, according to LCCHR. Some orders, such as targeting what the Trump administration, illegal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices. This caused the Leadership Conference to push back by insisting to enforce federal civil rights laws, defend and advance rights and freedom for all.
