Rights Under Attack: DHS Violence Against Journalists, Observers, and Protestors

In recent months, as federal mass deportation efforts have ramped up, there has been a deeply disturbing escalation of violence by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers against journalists, observers, and peaceful protesters alike. Scores of violent assaults on reporters have resulted in a growing number of serious injuries and prompted press lawsuits against DHS in Los Angeles and Chicago. Plaintiffs assert that the violence is both excessive and officially sanctioned, part of a concerted effort to silence the press and keep the American people in the dark.

The American Constitution Society, the Center for Media and Democracy, and Common Cause held a briefing about the dire threat federal law enforcement violence posed to our First Amendment rights to speech, assembly, and a free press, including the right to record ICE activity and anti-ICE protests.

Speakers:

Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights, Free Press

Alejandra Cancino, Investigative Reporter, Chicago

Adam Rose, Press Rights Chair, Los Angeles Press Club; Deputy Director of Advocacy, Freedom of the Press Foundation

Nick Stern, Freelance Photojournalist

Matt Topic, Partner, Loevy + Loevy