The Wren Collective has identified 10 significant attacks on democracy and civil rights in the US in 2025, including mass deportation, increased use of the death penalty, dismantling of civil rights enforcement, and attacks on health care, academic freedom, and press freedom.
The Wren Collective has released a year-end recap of its Democracy Under Attack newsletter, highlighting the 10 worst excesses of the Trump administration’s power over the past year, including the use of a secret police force, the aggressive pursuit of the death penalty, the withdrawal of the Department of Justice from civil rights enforcement, the mobilization of the National Guard, the control of academic freedom, the attack on journalism, the criminalization of reproductive and transgender health care, the attack on entertainers, the use of government-run accounts as internet trolls, and the slashing of public safety investments.
Seven people detained at a California immigration detention center have filed a lawsuit against ICE, citing inadequate medical care, denial of access to counsel, and punitive conditions, including solitary confinement and neglect of people with disabilities.
Immigrants in Alabama face harsher punishments for the same crimes as citizens, with sentences that are longer by months or years than nonimmigrants, according to a ProPublica review of over 100 court cases.
Federal attorneys argue that President Donald Trump’s continued federal control of California National Guard troops stationed in Los Angeles remains lawful due to an alleged ongoing “danger of rebellion,” despite California’s insistence that the deployment violates constitutional limits on presidential power and undermines state authority over its Guard.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to California’s civil rights law brought by a Bakersfield bakery, leaving intact a state appellate court decision that reinforced protections for same-sex couples seeking equal service at businesses open to the public.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom have launched a new online portal allowing members of the public to upload photos and videos of suspected unlawful activity by federal agents, in an effort to protect the rights and safety of Californians.
A federal judge has issued an injunction blocking the Trump administration from arresting immigrants in Washington, D.C. without a warrant or probable cause, following a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and CASA.
Jonathan Jean-Baptiste argues that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is a continuation of the long history of surveillance and overpolicing experienced by Black Americans, and that the Black community must become more involved in fighting for immigrant justice to create a safer environment for Black children.
A federal judge has issued an order banning ICE from carrying out warrantless arrests in Colorado, ruling that the agency’s practices violate federal law, and the ruling provides immediate protections to people who may otherwise be subject to warrantless detention based on profiling or insufficient investigation.
At a congressional field hearing in Los Angeles, lawmakers, community advocates and local officials heard testimony from over two dozen individuals about wrongful detentions by federal immigration authorities, prompting UnidosUS to call for stronger safeguards to protect civil rights.
The ACLU of Northern California successfully challenged a DHS subpoena seeking to unmask anonymous Instagram users who posted videos of ICE raids in Los Angeles, protecting the First Amendment rights of those documenting law enforcement activity in public.
Community leaders, advocates, elected officials, and impacted women gathered outside the San Francisco County Jail to demand accountability for deputies who ordered women in custody to strip in front of male deputies, violating constitutional protections, state law, and basic human dignity.
Chaofeng Ge, a Chinese immigrant, was found dead in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pennsylvania, with his hands and feet tied behind him, sparking outrage from his family and advocacy groups who are calling for justice and accountability.
A yearlong joint investigation by NBC News and Bloomberg Law has uncovered a pattern of pregnant women in jails across the United States miscarrying, giving birth alone on filthy cell floors or toilets, and in some cases losing their babies or their own lives while requests for help were reportedly ignored.
The Bail Project is urging the Senate to reject H.R. 5215, the D.C. Cash Bail Reform Act, which it argues would return Washington, D.C. to a system of mass pretrial detention and wealth-based incarceration, undermining decades of local progress and democratic self-governance.
The ACLU of D.C. and Maryland criticized the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services for considering the reopening of the Thomas J.S. Waxter Children’s Center, a condemned juvenile detention facility, arguing that it will worsen health and safety conditions for youth.
Immigrants detained at California’s largest immigration detention center have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging inhumane and unlawful treatment, including inadequate medical care, excessive isolation, and denial of basic necessities.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) released a statement condemning a hate crime against Sunnyvale volunteers for the Vigil of Gaza project, urging the city’s Department of Public Safety to launch a full investigation.
The ACLU of New York has released a policy platform urging the next mayor to defend and strengthen the city’s sanctuary laws, regulate surveillance technology, and protect the rights of vulnerable communities, including immigrants, incarcerated people, and LGBTQ and immigrant students.