(This publication is also available in Arabic and Farsi)
Background
Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities frequently face requests for “interviews” by federal and sometimes local law enforcement. These interviews have been distressing for many community members.
AMEMSA communities and those perceived to be members of AMEMSA communities also face hate incidents and hate crimes.
The federal government and local authorities working with them have subjected AMEMSA communities to surveillance in several ways, including:
- Placing informants in community and religious organizations.
- Encouraging the broader public to report “suspicious activity,” which often results in prejudicial reports about AMEMSA community members that are then followed up on by law enforcement.
- Physical surveillance of AMEMSA community members.
- Collection of information about community members through use of various surveillance technologies and through monitoring of online activity.
The civil rights community is here to support AMEMSA communities. You can contact us if you have legal concerns about something that happened to you or your community, to request a “Know Your Rights” presentation, and for additional information and materials. We speak Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Pashto, Spanish, Urdu, and other Asian languages.