June 17, 2008

On Thursday, June 19, the Rights Working Group will kick off a new campaign to hold the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) accountable with the "Night of 1,000 Conversations". Thousands of people across the country will gather in homes, offices, coffee shops and places of worship to discuss how the overreach of DHS is undermining the civil liberties and human rights of people living in America.

In the D.C. Metro Area, the Muslim Pubic Affairs Council (MPAC) will be joined by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation (MAS-Freedom Foundation), and Muslim Advocates in hosting a conversation at the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.

What: Night of 1,000 Conversations

When: Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 7pm

Where: All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS Center) 46903 Sugarland Road, Sterling, VA, 20164

In the name of national security, DHS has adopted practices that routinely violate the basic rights of people in this country, particularly immigrants. DHS conducts immigration raids that lock up people without due process. Individuals detained by DHS -- many of whom have no criminal record -- are being held in inhumane conditions. Furthermore, DHS's practice of targeting people of certain nationalities for extra security checks has contributed to a huge backlog in citizenship applications. Many applicants are now waiting an average of 7-9 months longer than normal which will result in the disenfranchisement of hundreds of thousands of people in the November 2008 elections.

The "Night of 1,000 Conversations" is the kickoff of a larger Rights Working Group campaign that will call upon DHS to take much-needed action to uphold the human rights and civil liberties of people living in America. The Rights Working Group is asking DHS to take the following actions:

1) End immigration raids that lock up people without due process

2) Ensure humane detention conditions and access to a trial

3) Provide fair and efficient mechanisms to end the backlog in processing citizenship applications by September 2008.

The Rights Working Group is a national coalition of more than 250 community-based groups and national organizations dedicated to ensuring that the American commitment to liberty and justice for all is fulfilled. For more information, visit nightof1000conversations.org or rightsworkinggroup.org.