Leaders of eight legacy civil rights organizations today issued the following joint statement in response to the current administration’s immigration raids and the responsive protests in the Los Angeles area:

“We stand in full and urgent solidarity with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and the residents of Los Angeles during this alarming moment. The federal government’s decision to federalize the State National Guard in Los Angeles, against the protestations of the Governor and against Mayor Bass’s urging, is deeply disturbing. It is reckless and creates the possibility of greater rights violations endangering residents.

“It is not lost on us that no such show of force was deployed in advance of the January 6 insurrection at our nation’s capital despite the clear threat to democracy. The contrast is alarming. Peaceful protestors in Los Angeles are met with military presence, while violent actors in Washington, D.C. were allowed to breach the heart of our government with little resistance. This inconsistency amplifies questions about how power is used and against whom. Federalization is a far cry from collaboration. What we are witnessing is an overreach of executive power.

“The people’s right to peacefully exercise their collective power and challenge this administration’s unjust policies targeting Black and Brown communities must be protected. This administration’s abuse of power will not stand. We do not live under a monarchy or an authoritarian dictatorship. We support local and state officials in their efforts to improve the well-being and safety of their communities, with the assistance of the federal government. That assistance should support the rights of individuals and uplift communities, not punish those exercising freedoms.

“We would be remiss to ignore how we got here, and the authoritarian goals of this administration. This is not the America we know. The actions of ICE agents are those of a police state. They endanger our communities. ICE agents are targeting people pursuing day-to-day activities–shopping at the neighborhood store or simply taking care of their families in the privacy of their own homes–for immigration arrests and deportation, at times without due process.

“Civil rights and liberties are constitutionally protected and must be respected. We will always fight to protect these hard won rights because they are essential to a strong multi-racial democracy.”

The statement is signed by:

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Legal Defense Fund

National Action Network

NAACP

National Coalition on Black Civic Participation

National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)

National Urban League

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.

 The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 240 national organizations to promote and protect civil and human rights in the United States. The Leadership Conference remains the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition, committed to the protection and advancement of civil and human rights for every person in the United States. It has become the nerve center for fighting discrimination in all its forms and expanding opportunity and fairness for all Americans.

 Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957— although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.

 National Action Network (NAN) is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1909 as a multiracial coalition, the NAACP works to advance political, educational, social, and economic equality for all persons and to eliminate racial discrimination.

 The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (The National Coalition) is a 501(c)3, non-profit, national civil rights and community engagement organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement, voter participation and economic opportunity in Black and underserved communities. The National Coalition strives to create an enlightened community by engaging people in all aspects of public life through service/volunteerism, advocacy, leadership development, and voting.

 National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is an “organization of organizations,” comprised of more than 350 campus and community-based sections and 37 national women’s organizations that enlightens, inspires, and connects more than 2,000,000 women and men. Its mission is to lead, advocate for, and empower women of African 4 – Civil Right Organizations Statement on Los Angeles Protests descent, their families and communities. It was founded in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, an influential educator and activist, and for 40 years, the iconic Dr. Dorothy Height was president of NCNW.

 National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. The National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its 92 local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of nearly 4 million people annually nationwide.