The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has requested a federal court to intervene after the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) failed to provide records concerning the use of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) and fusion centers. The ACLU's request follows eight months after filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and six months post-lawsuit.
JTTFs and fusion centers are integral to the U.S. government's domestic intelligence operations, facilitating information exchange among various law enforcement agencies. There are approximately 200 JTTFs and 80 fusion centers nationwide, operating with limited oversight. These entities have been criticized for allegedly targeting activists and communities of color by associating protest activities with terrorism without evidence.
The ACLU's FOIA request aims to uncover details about surveillance practices during both the Biden administration and the first Trump administration, focusing on their impact on privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. This request is timely given an order from the Trump administration directing JTTFs to coordinate directly with DHS and other agencies in executing immigration-related initiatives.
Aamra Ahmad, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, stated: “As Donald Trump ramps up his abhorrent mass deportation regime and pressures government agencies and officials to follow his reckless orders, it’s more important than ever for the American people to know what guardrails, if any, the FBI and DHS have in place to protect the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of our communities.”
During Trump's first term as president, then-Attorney General Barr deployed JTTFs against racial justice activists protesting police killings of Black individuals like George Floyd. Fusion centers across the nation have similarly targeted political, religious, and social justice activists by disseminating intelligence reports that urge law enforcement to monitor protestors. In one instance from 2019, Virginia Fusion Center compared environmental activists' protests against gas pipeline construction with actions taken by foreign terrorist organizations.
