Welcome to the April issue of The Brief, the monthly email newsletter of the ACLU of Northern California. We have a busy month ahead with two immigration cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. We're fighting the Trump administration's racist mass deportation agenda and advocating for a humane immigration system that treats people with dignity and respect.

ACLU NorCal at the Supreme Court

On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument challenging the Trump administration's attempts to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria and Haiti. The decision could potentially affect not only hundreds of thousands of TPS holders from Haiti and Syria, but also 1.3 million individuals from all 17 TPS countries who live in the United States. Together, these cancellations reflect the largest "de-documentation" event in U.S. history – stripping legal status and work authorization from people who are relying on this protection because their countries are unsafe. ACLU NorCal's legal team and our co-counsel will be at the Supreme Court alongside our clients. Listen live at 7 a.m. PT.

Border Patrol violated court order during Sacramento sweep

A federal district court found that Border Patrol violated a court order by stopping Latino day laborers without reasonable suspicion during a July 2025 enforcement operation in a Sacramento Home Depot parking lot. In granting our request to enforce the order in our Kern County immigration lawsuit, the court made it clear that Border Patrol can't rely on assumptions about individuals' immigration status or the fact that they ran from agents to justify stopping them. The court also concluded that Border Patrol relied on boilerplate narratives or doctored reports describing stops and arrests. On April 22, we will ask the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the court order barring Border Patrol's illegal stop-and-arrest practices.

Lawsuit challenges Modesto's mask ban

We sued Modesto over its unconstitutional ordinance banning masks and personal safety gear at protests. It is too broad and vague, resulting in absurd contradictions &nsash; someone could wear an inflatable frog suit that completely covers their head, but a bandana worn across half their face would be a crime punishable by up to six months in jail. Despite strong community opposition, city leaders have committed nearly $350,000 to defend the ordinance.

This measure stifles free speech and makes it harder for journalists to safely report on protests. At a time when Trump is trying to crush dissent and muzzle the press, Modesto's ordinance forces people to choose between speaking out and staying safe.

Video: The Bay Area connection to birthright citizenship

Born in San Francisco to Chinese parents, Wong Kim Ark took his fight to affirm his citizenship to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1898 and won. Learn more on YouTube from Executive Director Abdi Soltani.

California prisons ban community leader's memoir

We're calling on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to reverse its decision banning Dorsey Nunn's memoir, "What Kind of Bird Can't Fly." In the book, Nunn, a longtime advocate for rehabilitation and reentry who spent a decade in San Quentin, reflects on accountability, personal transformation, and the process of rebuilding one's life after incarceration. His inspirational story should be available to people incarcerated in state prisons.

Final Thoughts

• Check out the upcoming dates on ACLU NorCal's Defend Democracy Tour with Executive Director Abdi Soltani.
• Check your voter registration status and register to vote online for the June 2 primary election.
• When the federal government removed 350 words related to diversity, LGBTQ+ identity, racism, and other issues from official websites, Leah Korican created art as an act of resistance.

Thanks for reading this issue of The Brief. We'll see you back here next month!