We all deserve to feel safe and protected, no matter where we were born, how we pray, or what language we speak.

National Security & Civil Rights

Our Focus

We strive to undo hate and violence against those impacted by unjust national security policies and build a more just and inclusive country where everyone can live safely and with dignity. After 9/11, U.S. politicians and agencies exploited public fears and created profiling, surveillance, and discriminatory immigration policies that targeted Muslims and people believed to be Muslim. Our communities continue to be affected by these programs, which criminalize people without any evidence of wrongdoing. With civil rights partners across the country, we stand up for communities’ constitutional freedoms and liberties, particularly Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) and immigrant communities who have been harmed by local, state, and federal national security policies rooted in white supremacy and racism.

  • As a core member of the No Muslim Ban Ever coalition, we’re mobilizing to pass the NO BAN Act and prevent any future president from barring immigrants and refugees based on their religion or national origin.
  • In California, we’re disentangling local law enforcement from the FBI’s surveillance programs and working to defund the state’s own programs including the Joint Terrorism Task Force that wrongly stereotype Muslim, Black, and other communities as inherently suspicious.
  • At mosques across the Bay Area, we’re helping thousands of community members learn and defend their civil rights on free speech, immigration, travel, privacy, and safety—and providing free legal services to help families reunite, immigrate, and find refuge in the U.S.
A crowd gathers at the foot of stone steps leading to a landing in front of San Francisco City Hall, an ornate building with neoclassical architectural features and gold-colored metal work. At the top of the stairs, in front of large doors, people stand beside a man in a suit speaking from a podum. Some of those standing hold a long banner that says, "We all saw that movie... No Killer Robots."
Illustration of scales of justice in blue and plum

Get Help

If you are concerned about surveillance programs that may be harming your community and looking for more information on your rights, we’re here to help. Get help now.

Our Work

Guides & Reports

Know Your Rights for Community Members Addressing Islamophobia and Attacks on Free Speech

Across the Bay Area and California, community members are coming together to protest for peace and justice. If you are joining a protest, know your rights.

Learn More
Guides & Reports

Asian Law Caucus Submits Shadow Report to UN Human Rights Committee

ALC submitted a shadow report to the UN Human Rights Committee detailing how U.S. national security programs threaten people’s rights, and called on the Committee to hold the U.S. accountable.

Learn More
Perspectives

Know Your Rights Before Traveling Abroad

The Asian Law Caucus represents community members who are profiled and subject to discriminatory questioning, searches, or detention at airports.

Learn More

News & Perspectives

Guides & Reports

Know Your Rights at Airports: International and Domestic

May 1, 2026

This Know Your Rights page provides information regarding how to prepare for travel in U.S. airports, whether you are planning to travel internationally or within the United States.
News

CAIR-LA, Asian Law Caucus Secure Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Against County of Orange, OC Sheriff Don Barnes, and OC Sheriff’s Department Deputies Over Forced Removal of Two Women’s Hijabs

April 15, 2026

The ruling provides immediate protection for two Muslim women whose hijabs were forcibly removed in custody following their arrests at a peaceful, student-led demonstration on a university campus.
Guides & Reports

Understanding the USCIS Pause on Asylum and Certain Immigration Applications

April 2, 2026

In Dec. 2025, the Trump administration placed a hold on all asylum applications and is pausing green card and other immigration applications filed by individuals from ‘Travel Ban’ countries.