US Patriot Act

¶ … Patriot Act After the attacks on September 11, 2001, the government passed legislation designed to protect the country. Included amongst these was the Patriot Act which has become the center of debate by parties who are either in favor of or against the legislation.

There are many provisions to this act and the ones that are most debated include: reducing certain limits on law enforcement, giving additional powers to the Secretary of the Treasury, and giving law enforcement the ability to arrest, detain, or deport any immigrants who are suspected of involvement with terrorism (Schulhofer 2005).

After 9/11, America was in a frenzy of fear and patriotism which allowed laws to pass which have seriously infringed on the civil rights of citizens as well as allowing for unlawful activity to be performed by members of the government who claim they are doing it for the good of the country.

In subsequent years, various senators and Congressmen have tried to distance themselves from the law, but when it was introduced, there was only one person, Senator Russ Feingold, who vocalized his disagreement while another, Patrick Leahy expressed concern but still voted with the rest of Congress in favor of the bill. Three of the most disturbing provisions of the Patriot Act include the provisions for security against terrorism, the surveillance procedures allowed, and removal of anything considered an obstacle to investigation.

The government asserted that the best way of preventing another 9/11 was by stauncher investigation and inquiry. By monitoring immigrants and questioning their conduct, it was promised that the government could glean all the necessary information to prevent bloodshed. Since the law was passed, there have been many instances where people have reported civil rights violations. For example, immigrants or visiting nationals have claimed they were arrested without due process. This is legal according to the Patriot Act which allows for both detaining and deporting immigrants without habeas corpus (de Londras 2011).

"It states that an alien is deportable for contributing funds or material support to a terrorist organization -- or for contributing to any non-designated terrorist organization, if the alien knows or reasonably should have known that the funds or material support will further terrorist activity" (Ramasastry 2001). An individual who has immigrated legally to the U.S. can be deported if they have contributed to any type of terrorist organization, even if they did not know they were doing so or were forced to contribution through threat or violence.

Hence, refugees can be subjected to deportation for corroborating with the terrorist regime that they escaped from. It is the opinion of the U.S. government that 9/11 happened in part because they did not have the ability to identify who were threats to the safety of the citizens. To prevent any similar events in the future, the Department of Homeland Security was created with the specific goal of identifying and eliminating threats, often at the expense of civil rights (MacDonald 2003).

Among other things, they are allowed to observe and monitor people to determine whether they are connected to terrorism. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network office of the treasury stated that the Patriot Act was designed to "deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools…" (2012). During a time of extreme emotional distress by the American public, the government declared that the only way to prevent the possibility of more attacksx was to given back ultimate authority to the government.

Since the start of the War on Terror, the American people have turned against the legislation, but the government has not amended the Patriot Act to reflect this attitude. On the contrary, in 2011 President Barack Obama signed an extension to the act, which permits wire-tapping and observation of terrorism suspects. The NSA scandal of 2013 illustrated the ease with which these surveillance measures can be abused. One of the most worrisome aspects of the act has to do with the First Amendment rights of citizens.

News reporters and other members of the media have been prevented from attending proceedings in court which leads to a worry that the conduct at these proceedings are not above board. There have been cases where reporters and their associated newspapers have been prosecuted by the government for thinks like "featuring a link to Osama bin Laden's latest taped statement in connection with a story about the statement" on the basis that they are spreading the message of the enemy (Baker 2005,-page 145).

Further, the government can give a subpoena to news organizations, or anyone else for that matter, forcing these investigators to give over documents or names of anyone who might be connected to suspected terrorism. This is all done under Title V of the act. If reporting or investigation would constitute a form of obstruction according to the government, then they can effectively silence these organizations, violating the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The Patriot Act is thereby giving government agencies the means to punish citizens for being educated about what is going on in their country and around their.