The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) is currently facing mounting pressure from 42 civil liberties groups. The groups, representing millions of Americans, are demanding that the D.H.S. release the original, unedited version of a document known as the “Race Paper”.

The groups, in their joint letter to Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, also demand the release of another memo known as the “Growing Frequency of Race-Related Domestic Terrorist Violence”.

The civil rights organizations allege the unredacted versions of both documents contain “biases and inaccuracies” that encourage law enforcement to target “activists, protesters, and communities of color.”

The Race Paper became publicly known after a request was made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); however, the D.H.S. only released an edited version of the document to the public.

Peaceful minority protestors, according to the 42 civil rights groups, are being unconstitutionally targeted based on the D.H.S.’ incorrectly identified “trends in domestic terrorism driven by race-related ‘extremist’ ideologies.”

The groups expressed concern over the D.H.S.’s declaration that “it has identified common indicators displayed by those engaging in domestic terrorism.” They argue the requested documents could have serious implications on the constitutional rights and the safety of protesters and activists of color.

“Other recently released documents, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “Black Identity Extremist” report, show federal law enforcement is developing race-based analysis to justify targeting and surveilling protesters of color with unjustified and unconstitutional scrutiny.8 These documents wrongly characterize peaceful, anti-racist groups carrying out First Amendment-protected activity as having a propensity for violence and therefore worthy of invasive and persistent surveillance,” states the letter to the D.H.S.

The letter is jointly signed by the following groups:

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Arab American Institute
• Brennan Center for Justice
• Campaign for Liberty
• Campaign for Youth Justice
• Center for Democracy & Technology
• Center for Media Justice
• Color of Change
• Defending Rights and Dissent
• Demand Progress Action.org
• Electronic Frontier
• Foundation
• Free Press
• Free Speech Coalition
• Government Information Watch
• Human Rights Watch
• Juvenile Justice Coalition (Ohio)
• Law for Black Lives – DC
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• Media Freedom Foundation
• MPower Change
• Muslim Advocates
• Muslim Justice League
• NAACP
• National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
• National Coalition Against Censorship
• National Hispanic Media Coalition
• National Immigration Law Center
• National Juvenile Justice Network
• National Lawyers Guild
• National LGBTQ Task Force
• New America’s Open Technology Institute
• New Jersey Parents’ Caucus
• PEN America
• Project Censored
• Restore The Fourth
• The Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law
• The Constitution Project at POGO
• The Southern Poverty Law Center
• United Congregations of Metro East (Illinois)
• Woodhull Freedom Foundation
• X-Lab

“Withholding these documents only fuels public distrust of D.H.S. while fanning the flames of racism in our society,” said Sandra Fulton, Free Press Government Relations Director. “Given our country’s long history of discriminatory policing, the content of this potentially inflammatory document should not remain hidden from public view.”

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