On the ninth episode of Immigration Today! Angeline Chen interviews Mohammad Tajsar, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. Mohammad’s work focuses on national security and counterterrorism policy, with a particular focus on the impacts of U.S. national security law on Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian communities. Mohammad also works on police misconduct, government surveillance, and protecting individuals’ and organizations’ rights in the digital world.
Mohammad describes where his passion for civil rights stem from and how being a Muslim and a father has affected his work. He goes into detail about his early career and how he landed at the ACLU. Mohammad’s current docket includes Fazaga v. FBI, a challenge to the FBI’s surveillance of mosques in Orange County, and Phillips v. Customs and Border Protection, a constitutional challenge to the surveillance and detention of immigrant rights lawyers and non-profit leaders. On this episode Mohammad discusses his position in protecting people's civil rights and freedoms through legal advocacy.
“The US Government has made many attempts to punish migrants but also those who work with them.. so my job is to attempt to vindicate their civil and constitutional rights that I believe were violated quite strongly.”
If you are interested in learning more about the surveillance of Muslims at the mosque in Orange County listen to this podcast recommended by Mohammad Tajsar himself: This American Life – The Convert.
Find more information about the ACLU here. Please also follow them on social media to stay up to date with their latest: LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
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