Ami Kachalia, Campaign Strategist, NJ ACLU Policy Department
This blog was originally published by the ACLU of NJ on July 30, 2025.
As announced in a letter from the Department of Defense, the Trump administration plans to use Fort Dix, the U.S. Army post that is part of the tri-service Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, to detain immigrants. The South Jersey military base will hold up to 3,000 beds for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
With this expansion to Fort Dix, New Jersey continues to be an epicenter of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Earlier this year, Delaney Hall, the largest detention facility on the East Coast, opened in Newark, which already multiplied the detention capacity in New Jersey four times over.
The Trump administration’s mass detention apparatus is unprecedented, and employing military resources to detain noncitizens is not normal. The government is pouring money into incarcerating our neighbors, with the most recent federal budget bill funneling $75 billion to ICE for enforcement and detention, often lining the pockets of private prison executives at the expense of humanity, equality, and decency. We can – and must – work to end the criminalization of the immigration system and the mass detention of immigrant communities.
Turning military bases into massive tent detention sites is not only unnecessary and costly; it’s another dehumanizing spectacle designed to intimidate all of us and deprive those detained of their rights. And it diverts important resources needed for military readiness.
It has been widely documented by Congress, oversight agencies, physicians, journalists, advocates, and whistleblowers that the immigration detention system is rife with abuse, dangerous conditions, and medical neglect. And studies have shown that community-based alternatives to detention save taxpayers money and yield better results when it comes to appearing in court. Because Fort Dix is a military base, its operating methods are likely to make the frightening reality of immigration detention in New Jersey even worse.
Our leaders must hold the Trump administration accountable: the ACLU of New Jersey calls on members of Congress to speak out against the inhumane use of military bases as immigration detention centers and to exercise their oversight authority at any such facilities.
Expanding immigration detention to military facilities sets a dangerous precedent for coopting military resources for internal law enforcement and is contrary to everything our nation was created to represent. As the Trump administration’s extreme immigration agenda continues to threaten our communities, the ACLU-NJ will continue to dedicate ourselves to defending the fundamental freedoms of our democracy for all.
Turning military bases into massive tent detention sites is not only unnecessary and costly; it’s another dehumanizing spectacle designed to harm our communities.
The ACLU’s first Civil Rights in the Digital Age (CRiDA) AI Summit in July brought together civil society, nonprofit, academia, and industry leaders to thoughtfully consider how to center civil rights and liberties in a constantly changing digital age.
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Leaders and experts from the ACLU, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Hugging Face, Amnesty International, Future of Life Institute, Kapor Foundation, Mozilla Foundation and other major organizations discussed how organizations can create an equitable and just future of AI.
Organizations Must Collaborate to Shape the Future of AI
One way experts shared organizations can develop AI responsibly is through partnerships and collaboration. This includes working with civil rights organizations, community participation, and collaborating with other diverse perspectives to provide input on AI policies that are being considered for adoption.
“We need conversations about how AI supports more than just profit, but purpose. And here at the ACLU this morning, we really dug into that question,” Vilas Dhar, president and trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, shared. “What are the institutions we have to build and support that protect all of our interests in an AI-enabled age?”
To lead by example, the ACLU has a cross-functional working group of experts representing many business functions within the organization who carry out a holistic findings process when adopting generative AI tools to discover if a tool does not align with ACLU values. This approach ensures that innovation does not leave groups of people behind.
CRiDA experts, like Dhar, also explored why innovation should not be rushed. Technology developers and leaders must take the time to be curious, learn, and engage in collaboration on AI systems’ design, deployment, and evaluation — and carefully evaluate critical issues related to AI’s impact on the environment and privacy, among other topics. While AI is an exciting frontier, organizations can employ tools, such as vendor questionnaires, to identify and understand the risks of specific AI tools and their alignment with an organization’s values related to privacy, fairness, transparency, and accountability.
We Must Protect Our Privacy and Data in the Age of AI
Panelists also discussed a crucial question: What laws regulate facial recognition?
“Not enough,” Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy and Technology project, replied. “In a lot of parts of the country, there's actually no law, nothing from Congress, and most states haven't acted. But there are places that are real leaders...cities have actually banned police from using face recognition technology because it's so dangerous.”
CRiDA experts also explored how AI systems today are trained by developers on vast amounts of data including personal, academic, and behavioral information — often without the consent of the individuals behind this data. The threat doesn’t stop at passive data usage. AI-powered surveillance systems — whether it’s facial recognition or predictive policing — are trained on prejudiced data and used in ways that disproportionately target communities of color, further embedding discrimination into our social reality.
ACLU CRiDA Summit panel members Ijeoma Mbamalu, Vilas Dhar, and Deborah Archer.
Credit: ACLU
This only amplifies the need for transparency and accountability when adopting AI systems. In practice, transparency for organizations considering using AI can include requiring vendors to provide details on the sources of the data used to develop their systems, their measures to assess risks of bias and discrimination, and any guardrails they have implemented to measure and address these risks. These questions are not only based on the need for transparency, but also critical for maintaining equity and fairness.
When developing CRiDA, one of the ACLU’s goals was to highlight the privacy implications of modern AI systems and vast use of personal data to power these systems. Together, experts and leaders across the board agreed that we all need transparency on how and when our data is used.
Ensuring AI Does Not Deepen the Digital Divide
AI has entered everyday life in a variety of ways, from the classroom to the hiring process. We understand that AI can be an asset to an organization’s work if implemented thoughtfully and responsibly. For example, if designed and governed carefully with appropriate guardrails, AI systems could be used to support critical educational and economic opportunities. But at the same AI systems can also have the opposite impact, and we risk exacerbating the racial wealth gap — harming rather than helping marginalized communities — when they are not designed and deployed carefully.
To accomplish a future of tech that is based on fairness and equity, CRiDA experts such as Deborah Archer, president of the ACLU, called on AI system developers to not only include civil society leaders in the room when developing AI, but to also expand diversity, equity, and inclusion, invest in causes that seek to close the digital divide, and fund trainings for marginalized communities to build technology that ensures the next generation have equal opportunity to succeed.
“It's not just enough to say, ‘We want diverse people in the room,’ and ‘We want diverse people to do this work’ if we’re not also doing the work to make sure that all of those people have access to the education, the resources, the opportunities, and the networks that equip them to do the work and then put them in the spaces to take advantage of the opportunities,” said Archer. “So, it is connected to all the other work the ACLU is doing, and other people are doing, around diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
The ACLU has fought both in courts and in communities to address and remedy AI’s systemic harms. We must meet the moment and urge tech, political, and civil society leaders to keep civil rights at the center of AI innovation.
Policies Centering Civil Liberties and Civil Rights in the Digital Age
The future of AI depends on a commitment from our leaders to ensure that AI aligns with the core principles and liberties that our Constitution envisions. Congress passed H.R. 1, the so-called One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, in May. Earlier versions of the bill included a moratorium on state and local laws regulating AI. Luckily, with the support of everyone who called on Congress, the provision was taken out.
Off the heels of this vote, experts and leaders at the ACLU’s CRiDA highlighted how, as AI gains power, now is the time to push for guardrails protecting civil liberties.
“Congress is trying to stop states from passing legislation and other regulations to protect us from AI through a tool called preemption,” Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel with the ACLU National Political Advocacy Division, shared with leaders. “You can keep it out of any future legislation by reaching out to your representatives and senators and tell them: No AI moratoriums and no preemption of state laws.”
The ACLU will continue to fight for responsible AI design and deployments, in the courtroom, and in Congress. Together, with peer organizations, innovators, and advocates, we will continue to use our collective power to protect the digital rights of everyone — especially people from marginalized communities. It must be a priority for all of us, including the institutions and developers building these technologies.
At the ACLU’s Civil Rights in the Digital Age AI Summit, leaders convened to evaluate the civil rights landscape of artificial intelligence and tech, and how we can call for policies that center privacy, fairness, and equity.
Shayla A. Mitchell, Election Protection Organizer, ACLU of Alabama
Editor's Note: Shayla Mitchell is the election protection organizer for the ACLU of Alabama. She works every day to ensure Alabamians can access the polls freely, safely, and fairly. Her motto is “Local is Vocal.” As a Black organizer and disability advocate, she has seen how local attacks on voter access can become a national precedent. Consider her your “Election Protection Bestie” if you ever visit Alabama.
The Civil Rights Movement began in humble living rooms, at busy lunch counters, and across church pews in Alabama where people gathered to demand a voice in democracy. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law on July 26, 1990, is part of that same tradition. The ADA stands on the shoulders of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, carving out legal protections so people with disabilities could fully participate in public life, whether that’s gaining employment or casting a ballot.
This July, the ACLU commemorates the 35th anniversary of the ADA, recognizing it as a living civil-rights protection that we will never stop fighting to uphold. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life. It promises access to employment, government services, public spaces, and crucially, the ballot box. Yet here in Alabama, and across the country, these promises are fragile.
"At the ACLU of Alabama, we know that voting rights are disability rights."
At the ACLU of Alabama, we know that voting rights are disability rights. In 2024, nearly 30 percent of Alabama’s electorate fell under the ADA’s protection. Nationally, one in five eligible voters live with a disability. But the simple act of voting, from accessing a polling place to mailing a ballot, remains a battleground.
The ACLU of Alabama, works every day to ensure that the promise of the ADA reaches the voting booth. And this year’s anniversary is a call to action. From restrictive legislation to inaccessible polling places, barriers still undermine the rights of voters with disabilities. Right now,three major threats could affect us all on Election Day and highlight why defending the ADA remains crucial.
The Fight Against Alabama’s SB1
One of the most urgent threats came in March 2024, when Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 1 (SB1) into law. Under SB1, organizations assisting a voter with requesting, filling out, or delivering an absentee ballot application could face criminal charges, with penalties of up to 20 years in prison. The law’s vague language labels even small acts of kindness (like giving a neighbor gas money to drive their ballot to the post office) as potential “gifts” and criminal offenses.
During public hearings, the law’s sponsors made it clear: they intend to criminalize the assistance on which voters with disabilities often rely. Ironically, these same lawmakers represent districts where absentee voting has historically been common, with averages as high as 72 percent. In the months since SB1 passed, absentee voting participation in Alabama has plummeted.
Nationally, SB1 has sent a chilling message: helping people exercise their right to vote, even when required by federal law like the ADA, could now carry legal risk. For voters with disabilities, who frequently rely on trusted friends or organizations for ballot assistance, this legislation amounts to voter suppression by another name.
The Ongoing Crisis of Inaccessible Polling Places
In 2024, the Alabama Election Protection Coalition identified polling sites with broken or absent ramps, doors that couldn’t be opened without significant force, hazardous mold, and inadequate lighting. These conditions violated the ADA and deterred voter participation.
Through direct advocacy, counties across Alabama were compelled to conduct ADA compliance audits of their polling places. But we quickly discovered another gap: there was no centralized, reliable public list of polling locations anywhere in the state. Even the secretary of state’s office lacked a comprehensive listing six months before the primary election.
To fill this gap, the ACLU of Alabama partnered with the Legal Defense Fund’s Black Voters on the Rise Program and Rollin’ to the Polls to create a Nonpartisan Statewide Polling Location Directory. This resource now informs voter mobilization efforts, helps protect against disenfranchisement, and guides our targeted advocacy for ADA compliance in underperforming counties.
We’re pushing forward with strategies to ensure every voter can safely and confidently access their polling place, especially in Alabama’s Black Belt, where infrastructure often lags behind. That means relocating inaccessible polls, consolidating polling places for efficiency, and ensuring compliance through direct engagement with local election officials.
Rising Obstacles to Vote Across The Country
The threats to voters with disabilities aren’t confined to Alabama. The Trump administration’s March 2025 executive order on “Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” and the House’s passage of the "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act," or the SAVE Act,have both raised alarms among disability rights advocates. These measures expand avenues for disenfranchisement, with consequences for voters covered under the ADA.
In May 2025, a federal court ruled in Milligan v. Allen that Alabama’s legislative maps intentionally disenfranchised Black voters, yet similar fights continue in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and beyond. Voter ID laws and inaccessible government buildings further compound the barriers. For many, updating voter registration requires physical access to offices they can’t safely enter.
We Must Defend the ADA’s Legacy
These threats underscore why the ADA’s 35th anniversary is more than ceremonial. In Alabama and across the Deep South, we’ve seen how local attacks on disability access become the national precedent. Safe, fair, and accessible elections aren’t a privilege. They're a right protected by the ADA. For 35 years, this law has been a lifeline. Our job now is to ensure it stays that way for the next 35 years and beyond.
At the ACLU, we are proud to stand alongside advocates from REV UP (AAPD), Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP), League of Women Voters (LWV), NAACP, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Stand Up Mobile, Greater Birmingham Ministries (GBM), and Restore Your Vote to fight for our voting rights in courtrooms, legislatures, and at every polling place. Together, we remind people that democracy is for everyone.
"Together, we remind people that democracy is for everyone."
