The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Trump administration for its attacks on the press at the U.S.-Mexico border. The suit claims U.S. border officials targeted five journalists for detention, interrogation and searches. The lawsuit intends to hold the administration accountable for preventing journalists from informing the public about how the government is treating asylum seekers on the border. (ACLU, November 20, 2019, by Scarlet Kim, Esha Bhandari and Mitra Ebadolahi)
The ACLU said the border agents forced the five journalists to reveal their observations and the names of their sources while detaining them on reentry to the U.S. (HuffPost, November 20, 2019, by Lydia O’Connor)
The ACLU is asking the federal court to rule the detentions and interrogations violated the First Amendment and for an injunction requiring government agencies to erase any records of the unlawful interrogations. (Washington Examiner, November 21, 2019, by Anna Giaritelli)