ACLU Sues Louisiana For Act 399 (Obstructing ICE)

On August 1st, Act 399 went into effect in Louisiana and so the ACLU has filed a lawsuit because it violates the 1st and 14th Amendments. The law amended Louisiana’s obstruction of justice statute to threaten imprisonment with hard labor and thousands of dollars in fines for people who “knowingly commit any act intended to hinder, delay, prevent or otherwise interfere with or thwart federal immigration enforcement efforts.”

This law is written so broadly, that people are scared to hand out Know Your Rights pamphlets or provide any assistance to immigrants. There are other states who are passing similar laws, so we need this win in Louisiana to set a legal precedent to take out the same law in other states.