On June 17, 2004, the "Civil Liberties Restoration Act of 2004," S. 2528 was introduced by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and William Delahunt (D-MA) introduced H.R. 4591, a companion bill, on the same day. If passed, this legislation would:
End the government's ability to issue a blanket order closing all deportation hearings to the public and to family members of detainees, while permitting, under certain circumstances, the closure of hearings or portion of hearings on a case-by-case basis.
Establish an independent immigration court within the Department of Justice (DoJ) and promote fair hearings by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal
Require the government to submit a public report to Congress on data-mining activities in order to protect the privacy and due process rights of individuals and to ensure accurate information is collected and used.
ARL, along with others in the public interest and civil liberties, wrote letters to the House and the Senate in support of CLRA of 2004.