LOS ANGELES - The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a request on Tuesday under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking information about the recent immigration raids across Southern California.

The FOIA request, filed with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), was prompted by raids conducted by CBP roving patrols that resulted in the questioning and detentions of hundreds of Latino residents in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles counties. The ACLU-SC has asked the CBP to explain their reasons for conducting the patrols and disclose details about whom the agency questioned, detained, and deported. The CBP has released no information to the public about how or why the raids were conducted except to state that they were based on "intelligence" and that they targeted people based on nationality.

"The information provided by the CBP has been limited at best and contradictory at worst," said Ranjana Natarajan, staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California. "Given the confusion and fear surrounding the CBP's actions it is critical that the community have a clear understanding of what exactly took place. The community has been kept in the dark which has only heightened the sense of anxiety throughout the community."

Businesses, schools and even health clinics experienced a drastic decrease in community participation and commerce.

"There is no question that the raids spread fear and panic throughout the community," said Jim Mangia, director of St. John's Well Child and Family Center in Los Angeles. "People were afraid to go to work, send their children to school and even visit the doctor. Often times people don't realize that these sort of events have a ripple effect throughout the community."

The ACLU/SC's FOIA request asks the CBP to disclose, among other information:

' The total number of persons questioned and detained;

' The number of persons traveling by vehicle who were questioned;

' The total number of persons removed from the U.S., and the countries to which they were removed;

' Any records involving California state and local law enforcement involvement with the raids;

The ACLU of Southern California has set up a call line to gather information on the raids and encourages people who may have been stopped to call 213/977-5218.

PASADENA - In a victory for civil liberties, the Pasadena City Council today passed a resolution condemning the unconstitutional aspects of the USA-PATRIOT Act. By passing the resolution, the City of Pasadena, joins over 332 cities, counties and even states throughout the nation that have passed similar resolutions.

"This is a tremendous victory for civil liberties," said Ramona Ripston, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "The City of Pasadena has taken a stand today by passing a resolution in support of civil liberties and critical of the USA-PATRIOT Act. Pasadena residents should be proud that their City Council stands on the side of over 59 million Americans in 41 states who believe we can be both safe and free."

"All across this country, people of all walks of life and of all political persuasions are continuing to voice concern about the expansion of government powers under this Administration," she continued.

The USA-PATRIOT Act was passed on October 26, 2001, just 45 days after the September 11th attacks. The 342-page piece of legislation was passed with little debate by the Members of Congress, most of whom did not even read the bill. The Act gives the Executive Branch sweeping new powers that weaken the American system of checks and balances that is designed to guard against government encroachment.

For more information on the USA-PATRIOT Act check the ACLU-SC's website: www.aclusocal.org

LOS ANGELES - In a ruling today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a previous federal district court decision that the presence of a cross located on the federal Mojave Desert Preserve is a religious symbol and violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The Ninth Circuit's published opinion was written by Judge Alex Kozinski, a Reagan appointee. All three judges on the panel were appointed by Republican presidents.

"The Court took a look at this issue and concluded that the case couldn't be clearer: a religious symbol on government property violates the U.S. Constitution," said Peter Eliasberg, managing attorney with the ACLU of Southern California. "At every level the courts have rightly agreed with this principle and there's no reason to believe that any amount of political grandstanding is going to impact years of established jurisprudence on these matters."

The cross in the Mojave desert sits on a federal land preserve in southeastern California between the cities of Barstow, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. The preserve encompasses roughly 1.6 million acres of the Mojave Desert. The cross itself is located in a section of the preserve known as Sunrise Rock.

The National Park Service (NPS), the agency that is charged with maintaining the cross, has been on notice about First Amendment violations since 1999 when the ACLU/SC sent a letter threatening legal action if the cross were not removed. In December of 2000, the U.S. House of Representatives added a rider to an appropriations bill that prevented the use of federal funds to remove the cross.

Last week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to remove a cross from the County's official seal rather than face costly litigation in what would likely be a losing court battle.

"The ruling couldn't be more timely," said Eliasberg. "And the message couldn't be clearer to those who would have the County engage in a costly, and losing battle to defend something that is Constitutionally indefensible. Those who suggest that a reasonable defense could be mounted against such a clear Constitutional violation are engaging in an uninformed, disingenuous campaign."