We’re deeply grateful for your support in our mission to foster American leadership on human rights. This mission is grounded in the simple fact that when the United States lives up to its ideals, more people can live in freedom, with dignity and agency, and share their gifts with the world.
One thing is for certain—none of our work, absolutely none of it, would be possible without you. Because of your generous support, our tenacious team has continued its critical work during this challenging and unsettling time.
As we look to the future of human rights, will you keep fighting with us?
Check out the latest battles we won for human rights:
- Stopped Congress from expanding family incarceration. A group in Congress sought to authorize the indefinite detention of families. Having spent years documenting the physical and emotional damage that detention does to children, we were in a position to lead, and lead we did, spearheading an advocacy effort that defeated this proposal.
- Blocked arbitrary detention of asylum seekers & secured the release of hundreds. The government is supposed to grant parole to asylum seekers while they await their hearings, as long as they meet certain requirements. But the Trump Administration was jailing them indefinitely in violation of the Constitution, U.S. immigration laws, and the government’s own policy. So, along with partners, we took them to court, and won. A federal court blocked the arbitrary detention of asylum seekers. Nearly five hundred asylum seekers were released.
- Secured accountability for human rights abusers. In 2016, Congress passed and President Obama signed the Global Magnitsky Act, “GloMag”, the most powerful pro-human rights sanctions tool in U.S. history. We led a coalition that pressed the administration to use the law and assembled case files on prospective targets. As a result, the U.S. government has sanctioned more than hundred human rights abusers and corrupt officials from countries around the world, including close U.S. allies—a rare instance of American leadership on human rights from this administration.
- Denied President Trump dangerous new powers to wage war. The 2001 Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) targeted those responsible for the September 11 attacks, but successive presidents have used the law to wage war against an ever-expanding list of enemies. With an intensive advocacy effort—including testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations committee and in a bipartisan House hearing—we helped quash the proposal, solidifying our reputation as the go-to authority on this issue.
- Expanded visa program for persecuted Afghan allies. The U.S. military has employed tens of thousands of Afghans, whose affiliation with the United States puts them in life-threatening danger from the Taliban, al Qaeda, and ISIS. The Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program has never been large enough to meet the demand. Our Veterans for American Ideals project has fought tirelessly to extend and expand this lifeline, and this year, working with other veterans’ groups, it secured 4,000 additional visas from Congress.
- Stopped the administration from going soft on antisemitism. Early in his term, from his warm words for white nationalists to his appointment of Nazi-linked Sebastian Gorka, President Trump seemed intent on stirring up hatred. Then he put the special antisemitism envoy position on the chopping block. We fought to save the position, and President Trump recently filled it.
