Gonzalez v. Department of Homeland Security. * Latest Update: Oct 16, 2026 Summary. Under the second Trump Administration, the Department of Homeland Security has engaged in excessive, violent and reckless immigration activities, resulting in thousands of people being taken into custody. Many of these individuals have been held in inhumane conditions for months. But DHS has continued to harm even those released from custody by refusing to return personal property ICE (a part of DHS) seized when it took them into custody. When the government obtains someone's property, it must return those items when its interest in them expires, even if it initially took control of the items lawfully. DHS routinely flouts this obligation. It has adopted a de facto policy of keeping property seized from people it detained for civil immigration purposes long after any plausible governmental interest in the items expired. This case challenges DHS's conduct on behalf of seven people and a class of similarly situated individuals. ICE detained each of the named plaintiffs, stripped them of important property, and failed to return their items months after their release. ICE failed to return Employment Authorization Documents and other important documents, along with items such as cell phones and car keys. As a result, the plaintiffs have lost work opportunities, feared going out in public (because they don't have identification, which could lead ICE to detain them again), and suffered other forms of personal and economic hardship. The plaintiffs bring this case to regain the items DHS withheld from them and ensure that the agency comports with its legal duties when handling property in the future. ACLU is pleased to partner in this case, filed in the federal district court in the District of Columbia, with the ACLU of DC, Democracy Defenders Fund, Platkin LLC, and Wilkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Documents. Press releases. Oct 13, 2026 By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy statement.

Aspen One to host 'Party to the Polls' at TACAW. NewsNews | Oct 15, 2026 Aspen One is inviting community members to a Party to the Polls event from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at The Arts Campus at Willits with the aim of helping turn out the vote and educating locals on the ballot. Aspen One is hosting the event in partnership with the ACLU. An email shared with The Aspen Times confirmed that there are over 40 candidates and ballot measures in the Roaring Fork Valley this election cycle, many related to climate, democracy, LGBT+ rights and education. Experts from local nonprofits including Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Mountain Action Indivisible, Mountain Bio, AspenOUT and more will be available to help educate voters on the ballot measures that relate to their missions. Free pizza and Ben & Jerry's will also be available. Reservations can be made at forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qv9thWp9g0mpaXHT1Sfyqg6ya8yIba1Mrw2jlWV1QE5UM1lEVjYxV1ZPSkxEQzdXWTBBTTdIVVpGTC4u in order to be entered in the raffle, with prizes including a Patagonia Black Hole duffle, Burton products, ski tickets, East Fork pottery, restaurant gift cards and more. Oct 15, 2026

ACLU marks the Supreme Court term with new digital museum experience highlighting landmark SCOTUS cases. The People's Archive offers a dynamic digital journey through pivotal moments in ACLU's over 100-year history defending civil rights and civil liberties. October 13, 2026 9:30 am Spokesperson Media Contact 125 Broad Street 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 United States NEW YORK - Today, the ACLU launched The People's Archive, a dynamic digital museum that combines photography, audio, print, and video chronicling the organization's key civil rights and civil liberties milestones throughout its over 100-year history. This digital museum experience tells the story of how the ACLU's pivotal legal cases have helped to defend the Constitution and the very principles upon which its nation was founded 250 years ago. The People's Archive visitors will also have an opportunity to hear excerpts from some of the ACLU's landmark arguments before the Supreme Court, including Speiser v. Randall (1958), Engel v. Vitale (1962), Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (2005), Trump v. Barbara (2026), and more. "Democracy grows stronger each time people come together to defend their rights and freedoms," said Yasmin Cader, ACLU deputy executive director for program, strategy, and culture. "The victories we've won for civil rights and civil liberties give us a foundation to build on and a responsibility to keep going. As a new Supreme Court term begins, that work continues." The People's Archive highlights the ACLU's work across decades - from the 1920s to the 2020s - highlighting critical moments where the ACLU intervened when civil rights and civil liberties were at stake, such as racial justice, free speech in schools, reproductive freedom, privacy, and more. It also illustrates how many of the issues the ACLU championed at the time of its founding over a century ago - including free speech, immigration, racial justice, women's rights - remain under threat today. The People's Archive serves as living proof that its nation's institutions are strong enough to endure periods of devastating rollbacks, the abuse of power, and attacks upon marginalized communities. This digital museum experience will leave visitors with the recognition that, together, the people are stronger than any presidential administration, legal challenge, or dark moment in its nation's history. The People's Archive can be experienced here. By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy statement.