March 17, 2003

Dear Member of Congress:

We, the undersigned organizations, write to urge you to oppose the Domestic Security Enhancement Act (DSEA), legislation whose existence was revealed in draft form on Friday, February 7, 2003.

Like all Americans, we are deeply concerned by the continuing terrorist threats against our country, and like a growing number of Americans of every political persuasion, we are also worried that the DSEA, if enacted, would be the wrong remedy for this ongoing problem. Our reservations are based on our shared belief that the United States’ efforts to protect the country and punish those who were responsible for the September 11 attacks are best served by legislation that is directly focused on appropriate, responsible and effective anti-terrorism measures.

Legislation that fails to respect our time-honored liberties, or focuses on efforts unconnected to fighting terrorism, detracts from this crucial mission. The DSEA is that sort of legislation.

The draft bill contains a multitude of new and sweeping law enforcement and intelligence gathering powers, many of which are not related to terrorism, that would severely dilute, if not undermine, many basic constitutional rights, as well as disturb our unique system of checks and balances. If adopted, the bill would diminish personal privacy by removing important checks on government surveillance authority, reduce the accountability of government to the public by increasing government secrecy, expand the definition of “terrorism” in a manner that threatens the constitutionally protected rights of Americans, and seriously erode the right of all persons to due process of law.

We encourage you to make clear to the American people that you would not support such legislation, or any other legislation unnecessarily expanding the powers the government has already obtained in the USA PATRIOT Act. Instead, we recommend that you ask the Administration to provide Congress and the public more information about its use of the powers already granted in the USA PATRIOT Act.

We recognize that the threat of terrorism is very real, and that combating this danger is a preeminent objective for the nation. To that end, however, we oppose the approach taken in the Domestic Security Enhancement Act and urge you to seek solutions that make America safer without diminishing our country's fundamental freedoms.

Sincerely,

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee

American Association of Law Libraries

American Baptist Churches USA

American Civil Liberties Union

American Conservative Union

American Humanist Association

American Immigration Lawyers Association

American Library Association, Washington Office

American Policy Center

Americans for Tax Reform

Arab American Institute

Asian Americans for Equality

Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons

Association of Research Libraries

Bill of Rights Defense Committee

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Democracy and Technology

Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law

Center for Justice and Accountability

Center for National Security Studies

Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights

Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism

Common Cause

Consumer Action

Doctors for Disaster Preparedness

Electronic Privacy Information Center

First Amendment Foundation

F.I.R.S.T. Project, Inc.

Free Congress Foundation

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Gun Owners of America

Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington

Immigrant Defense Project of the New York State Defenders Association

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

International Institute of Boston

Japanese American Citizens League

Korean Resource Center

Latin American Integration Center

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

Lawyers Committee for Human Rights

League of United Latin American Citizens

Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Washington Office

Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)

Multiracial Activist

National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

National Coalition Against Repressive Legislation

National Council of La Raza

National Employment Law Project

National Immigration Law Center

National Lawyers Guild

New York Immigration Coalition

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

OMB Watch

Organization of Chinese Americans

People for the American Way

Police Accountability Project

Presbyterian Church USA, Washington Office

Special Libraries Association

Square One Media Network

Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America

Washington Defenders Immigration Project

Women Against War

Young Korean-American Service & Education Center (YKASEC)