Looking Forward

During the next two years, we will work to restore lost liberties in our schools, in our communities and along our borders. Our three initiatives will improve public safety, decrease school "push-out" and defend personal religious freedom.

Safeguarding American Values Along Texas' Southern Border
Half of the US-Mexico border cuts through Texas, making immigration policies of particular importance in our state. New draconian immigration policies like Operation Border Star, Operation Streamline and the ACCESS program, as well as increasingly deplorable conditions in immigrant detention centers, threaten some of the fundamental rights guaranteed in the United States. We will be working to ensure that local police policies respect the rights of individuals and protect our communities, and that immigration law is handled responsibly by federal authorities. Our efforts to help citizens and residents understand their rights will help to increase accountability and decrease abuse in detention centers and border communities.

Focus on Learning in Texas Classrooms

. - Texas Declaration of Independence

Texas schools have been struggling to keep up with the demands of the new millennium. High drop-out rates and illiteracy continue. Our children remain neglected. Over-policing, excessive use of suspensions and expulsions, and zero tolerance policies have removed hundreds of thousands of children from our schools and placed them on a fast track toward incarceration. By providing "Know Your Rights" trainings to students, teachers and parents, we can teach families how to use the strength of democracy to make their schools safer and help more kids graduate. Kids who participate in our program will have the opportunity to come to Austin and lobby for their rights during the 2010 legislative session.

Faith and Religious Liberty in Texas Communities
We are free when we can practice our own religion and maintain our own beliefs, without being asked or forced to participate in the religious practices of others. Freedom from religious discrimination and oppression was one of the essential inspirations of the founding of the United States, and it is one of the values binding everyone in this country together. Although religious freedom is a shared American value, we continue to witness religious practitioners bringing their own religious views into our classrooms and our public spaces, violating our right to be free from the religious practices of those whose beliefs are different than our own. Through community meetings in cities around Texas, beginning with our Annual Membership Meeting, we will open dialogue with various communities of faith about the role of religion in our lives, and ways we can all cherish our own faiths while stepping on none.

With your help, we can make real and lasting changes in Texas. Join with us to protect civil liberties in the Lone Star State. Please visit the ACLU of Texas website at www.aclutx.org to see how you can get involved.