An emergency evacuation notice issued by Governor Burgum on February 15 gives water protectors at the NoDAPL protest camps until 2pm today, February 22 to evacuate. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Army Corps of Engineers, North Dakota law enforcement, and the National Guard are stationed near the camps in preparation for the raid.  

In response to the evacuation order and in anticipation of intense police and protester interaction, the ACLU of North Dakota is deploying a team of legal observers to monitor the eviction of water protectors at Oceti Sakowin and Sacred Stone. ACLU of North Dakota legal observers are neutral and tasked with ensuring that the Constitutional rights of a free press and peaceful protest are upheld.  Observers will position themselves on public land and will be wearing blue ACLU of North Dakota observer vests. 

FOIA Filed As Part of Coordinated Campaign With 50 ACLU Affiliates

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of North Dakota filed a Freedom of Information Act request today with its local U.S. Customs and Border Protection office to expose how Trump administration officials are interpreting and executing the president’s Muslim ban, acting in violation of federal courts that ordered a stay on the ban’s implementation. The filing today is part of a coordinated effort from 50 ACLU affiliates, which filed 18 FOIAs with CBP field offices and its headquarters spanning over 55 international airports across the country.

Media reports indicate that CBP officials detained and deported individuals, even after federal courts ordered officials to stop enforcing the executive order following a court challenge from the ACLU and other organizations.

 “It is imperative that the public learn if federal immigration officials are blatantly defying nationwide federal court orders that block President Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim ban,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, Border Litigation Project Staff Attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “To shed light on this critical issue of pressing public concern, 50 ACLU affiliates are using the Freedom of Information Act to expose Customs and Border Protection’s abuse of power.”

The Trump administration has yet to inform the public of how many refugees, visa holders, and legal permanent residents have been affected by this action.

The following ACLU affiliates participated in this coordinated FOIA filing:

A downloadable PDF of the North Dakota local CBP FOIA request, submitted along with the ACLU of Washington and the ACLU of Montana, is available below.

The ACLU national FOIA request can be found here: https://www.aclu.org/cbp-foia-filing-trump-immigration-ban

The ACLU national release is available here: https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-files-demands-documents-implementation-trumps-immigration-ban