Press

ACLU lawyers and advocates are among the nation's leading experts on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. They are regularly sought out by leading broadcast, print and online media to lend an essential voice to the conversation about some of the most important issues facing the nation.

Please contact the ACLU SoCal Media Line at (213) 977-5252 or e-mail communications@aclusocal.org.

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Immigrant, 74, Dies By Suicide in Mesa Verde Detention Facility

Attorneys Had Pleaded for His Release During Pandemic Because of Multiple Health Problems

BAKERSFIELD — A 74-year-old immigrant with severe health problems making him especially vulnerable to COVID-19, died by suicide Sunday (5/17) at the Mesa Verde Detention Facility in Bakersfield.

May 18, 2020

ACLU Sues Delano Over Unlawful Police Attack and Arrest of Student

FRESNO — Pablo Simental, Jr. was walking through a residential neighborhood with friends in Delano, California to pick prom passes when an encounter with police led to officers tackling and slamming him to the ground, painfully handcuffing him, and taking him to jail. But Simental, 17 at the time,

May 18, 2020

Lawsuits Filed on Behalf of Terminal Island and Lompoc Prisoners

LOS ANGELES — COVID-19 swept through the federal prisons in Lompoc and on Terminal Island like wildfires. More than 900 people incarcerated in Lompoc have tested positive for the virus — that’s more than 65% of positive tests in all of Santa Barbara County where the prison facilities are located.

May 17, 2020

ACLU SoCal Announces First Artist-in-Residence — Audrey Chan

LOS ANGELES – The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California announces its inaugural artist-in-residence program. Los Angeles-based artist and educator Audrey Chan is the first chosen for the position.

May 14, 2020

Court Rejects Lawsuit to Force Governor to Halt ICE Transfers During Pandemic

SACRAMENTO — The California Supreme Court today rejected a lawsuit that would have forced the governor to halt the transfer of individuals from state prisons and county jails to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers that are potential death traps due to the COVID-19 pandem

May 13, 2020

City of Los Alamitos Agrees to Abide by CA Values Act

LOS ALAMITOS — The Los Alamitos City Council tonight voted to repeal its ordinance that claimed the city is exempt from the California Values Act, also known as the “sanctuary state” law and SB54. The California Values Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2018, limits local law enforcement’s

May 11, 2020