Reflecting on a tumultuous year of Occupy movements and the Arab Spring, the U.S. government has passed not one, but two new anti-protesting laws. With the exclusion of single word - from “willingly and knowingly” to simply “knowingly” - the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act is further restricting Americans first amendment rights.

On Wednesday, August 17th 2011, CAIR-Chicago staff attorney, Rabya Khan, and communications intern, Becky Fogel, attended a public hearing held by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to discuss the Secure Communities program. The event ended in civil disobedience led by local youth and the arrest of six attendees.

Kevin Vodak, CAIR-Chicago’s Staff Attorney, participated in a panel discussion in immigrant and human rights at WorldChicago’s Fulbright Scholar Conference on Saturday, April 2, 2011. The conference, held at the National Museum of Mexican Art, was entitled Democracy and Human Rights: An Exploration.

After Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab slipped by airport security only to be stopped thanks to the vigilance of fellow passengers, a debate on the effectiveness of airport security and counter-terrorism intelligence is no doubt in order. But trying to fix a problem without actually fixing the problem is misguided. Trying to fix it by introducing a new problem is dumb. This guy seemed to have left every clue short of raise his hand and proclaim, "Arrest me, I am a terrorist!"

American history is riddled with incidents of institutionalized discrimination and policies that marginalized minorities. While the federal government had come to regret such episodes, the current administration is repeating some of these mistakes.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, Civil Rights Director Christina Abraham, and Staff Attorney Kevin Vodak attended the quarterly Community Roundtable held by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Coordinator Christina Abraham and PILI Fellow Tawfiq Ali attended a roundtable hosted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

WASHINGTON -- The departments of Justice and Homeland Security have begun training employees to better understand and protect the civil liberties of American Muslims, Sikhs and other minority ethnic and religious groups in the wake of Sept. 11.

CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Coordinator met with representatives from various Department of Homeland Security agencies and other Muslim organizations to discuss issues pertinent to the Muslim community.

CAIR-Chicago's Civil Rights Coordinator Christina Abraham assisted a client in clearing up confusion surrounding a possible investigation pertaining to his license suspension.

Representatives from DHS will explain some of the reasons behind the delays in processing applications for citizenship.

CAIR-Chicago Communications Director Ahmed Rehab and Civil Rights Coordinator Christina Abraham, along with a number of Muslim community leaders, met with representatives from the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and local FBI and DHS officials.

CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Yaser Tabbara and Prison Project Coordinator Mariyam Hussain met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in order to discuss various immigration detention concerns including phone access, halal food, and sensitivity training.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been urging Arab and Muslim Americans to register with them in order to distinguish travelers from people whose names, or close variations thereof, appear on US no-fly or selected lists compiled by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This is done under the guise of building positive relationships with the Arab and Muslim communities.

Christina Abraham, CAIR-Chicago Civil Rights Coordinator, met with representatives of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN) Director Hatem Abudayyeh, Suzanne Adely, and Menna Khalil to finalize political, outreach, and media strategies for the Citizenship Delay Project. The Citizenship Delay Project is set to launch within the next few weeks.

(CHICAGO, 9/02/05) - CAIR-Chicago will be meeting with representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), and the Attorney General’s Office as a part of periodic Community Leadership Liaison Group meetings.