ACLU of Kentucky

The Herald-Leader reports on a problematic deportation program in Lexington:

Since Lexington joined a federal program in October aimed at deporting illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes, 75.6 percent of the 41 people deported have been convicted of a minor crime or no crime at all.

Lexington's percentage of such deportations is well above the national average of 60 percent, according to a Herald-Leader analysis of a report on the program released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 4.

...Kate Miller, a program associate with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said "the removals are contrary to ICE's goal of prioritizing dangerous criminals."

Secure Communities, Miller said, "operates with minimal transparency and accountability; it facilitates racial profiling and unconstitutional arrests; it creates a risk of unlawful and prolonged detention and unfairly impacts individuals."  

For the full story, click here.

After arguing a court case for the better part of two days, Joshua Puckett and Mashayla Hays, both 18, were still eager to continue and passionate about the issue — a female student who was suspended after wearing a tuxedo to school in protest.

The Central High School students did such a good job presenting their arguments at the Marshall-Brennan National Moot Court Competition that Joshua won first place and Mashayla was named runner-up.

It was the first time in the tournament's history that two students from the same school finished in the top four, said Joe Gutmann, a law and government teacher at Central.

During the Moot Court Competition, held April 2-3 in Philadelphia, students argued an actual case involving students' rights under the First Amendment before a three-judge panel, much like lawyers do in an appeals court or the Supreme Court.

Students from various Marshall-Brennan programs sponsored by law schools around the country compete. Gutmann's students participate in the ACLU Marshall-Brennan Program through a partnership with the University of Louisville.

Read the full Courier-Journal story here .

IN January 2004, Spec. Joseph M. Darby, a 24-year-old Army reservist in Iraq, discovered a set of photographs showing other members of his company torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison. The discovery anguished him, and he struggled over how to respond. “I had the choice between what I knew was morally right, and my loyalty to other soldiers,” he recalled later. “I couldn’t have it both ways.”

So he copied the photographs onto a CD, sealed it in an envelope, and delivered the envelope and an anonymous letter to the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command. Three months later — seven years ago today — the photographs were published. Specialist Darby soon found himself the target of death threats, but he had no regrets. Testifying at a pretrial hearing for a fellow soldier, he said that the abuse “violated everything I personally believed in and all I’d been taught about the rules of war.”

Read the whole Op-Ed featured in the NYT's here .

Watch the video here.

By: Tamara Evans - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB Fox 41) -- American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the Muhammad Ali Institute hosted a Youth Rights Conference for students wanting to learn and take a stand.

It's a conference these teens from across Kentucky help plan themselves, coming up with topics they want to know more about.

"A couple of years ago we had someone who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. That's pretty intense," says Rachel Swanson, a Senior at Bryan Station High School.

"Domestic violence. I would like to find out more about that and learn the statistics about domestic violence cases in Kentucky, says Dwight Haggard, a student at Central High School.

"One year we learned a lot about hate crimes and I really didn't know it was that much of an issue so I started looking into it more and more and became inspired by that," says Rachel Swanson.

Dating Violence, Comprehensive Sex Ed, the Dream Act, bullying and even access to nutritious foods were also topics on the minds of these teens from across Kentucky.

Some of the issues were recently before the General Assembly. Some of those bills were not passed, that these students want to know more about.

"I know our legislators really value youth so hopefully this will give them an opportunity to hear from them," says Kate Miller with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky," says Kate Miller.

The main goal here at the conference is getting other teens to take notice of the issues.

"Just make them aware that things like this do happen...immigration, domestic violence..things like that. You just need to be more aware about things that are happening in the country," says Dwight Haggard.

They're also learning how to fight back, and stand up for what they believe in.

"You don't really hear much about it from the school environment, so come to things like this you get more information about it so you can make your own decision about what you think is right," says Dwight Haggard.

"I come because there's a group of people I've never before, but they all have opinions and are all excited about eventually changing the world," says Rachel Swanson.

The conference also featured keynote speakers from across the country that have been personally impacted by the DREAM Act, and bullying.