Rep. Chu on Disbanding of NYPD Unit That Spied on Muslims

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the New York Police Department (NYPD) announced that a squad responsible for spying on Muslim and other minority communities – known as the Demographics Unit – is disbanded. Starting in 2003 as a post-9/11 intelligence-gathering operation, the secretive program involved eavesdropping on conversations and creating detailed files on the eating, praying and shopping habits of targeted community members. The Demographics Unit became highly controversial in 2011, when details of its operations became public knowledge. Today’s announcement is seen as a move by the De Blasio Administration to distance itself from aggressive intelligence gathering techniques from his predecessor’s administration.

“I commend Mayor De Blasio on this important first step to eradicating racial profiling,” said Rep. Chu. “While this brings an end to the actions of one unit, the fact is profiling will continue unless more action is taken. We must update our federal profiling guidelines to prohibit profiling on the basis of religion and nationality and stop surveillance of entire communities.”

In December 2011, Rep. Chu sent letters to Attorney General Eric Holder and the House Judiciary Committee calling for a hearing and investigation into the NYPD’s spying operations. Then in April of 2012, she testified at a Senate Judiciary Hearing and specifically raised concerns about the actions of the Demographics Unit. The next month, she introduced a resolution condemning the NYPD’s warrantless spying and religious profiling.

“The NYPD was behaving as if certain communities were guilty until proven innocent, and that is fundamentally at odds with what we stand for as a nation,” Rep. Chu Continued. “Security will always be a priority, but if we destroy those things that make America great in the process then what are we protecting in the first place?

“When law enforcement racially profiles a group, it replaces trust with fear and hurts communication. The community and law enforcement need to be partners to prevent crimes and ensure the safety of all Americans.”

Rep. Chu’s letter to Attorney General Eric Holder can be found here.

Rep. Chu’s letter to the House Judiciary can be found here.

More information about Rep. Chu’s testimony to stop racial profiling can be found here.

Rep. Chu’s resolution condemning warrantless spying and religious profiling can be found here.

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