BAMEMSA Organizational Statement in Opposition to Short-Term Reauthorization of Section 702 and Calling for Comprehensive Privacy Protections
November 16, 2023
Muslims for Just Futures and Muslim Advocates, alongside 17 grassroots, community-based, and advocacy organizations sent a letter to Congress strongly opposing including a short-term reauthorization of Section 702 in a continuing resolution or any other "must-pass" legislation.
Section 702 and its related surveillance authorities have been exploited to surveil Americans, particularly targeting immigrant, Black, African, Muslim, Middle Eastern, Arab, and South Asian (“BAMEMSA”) communities. This section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) permits intelligence agencies to conduct warrantless surveillance on foreign individuals, leading to pervasive and persistent privacy abuses, notably within the U.S. since its enactment. With Section 702 set to expire, Congress has a pivotal opportunity to establish robust privacy protections for people in the United States.
BAMEMSA communities have been negatively impacted by mass surveillance policies that have been expanded over the past 22 years since 9/11 as part of the “War on Terror”, resulting in irreparable harm. Failure to act perpetuates an unjust system that continues to punitively target our communities. We urge Congress to reject a short-term reauthorization of Section 702 in a continuing resolution or any other "must-pass" legislation and demand that Congress support in advocating for privacy protections that ensure fairness, accountability, and justice for all communities.