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Whether a damages remedy should be available when a federal agent violated the plaintiff’s First and Fourth Amendment rights by entering private property without a warrant, throwing the plaintiff to the ground without justification, and then retaliated against him for exercising his right to seek redress from the government.

The ACLU, along with co-counsel the University of Chicago International Human Rights Clinic and organizations including Andolan, Adhikaar, CASA of Maryland, Damayan, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, has been fighting to hold the U.S. accountable for the A-3 & G-5 visa programs that have enabled the trafficking of domestic workers by diplomats and other foreign officials. Currently pending before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is a petition on behalf of six former domestic workers and three advocacy organizations alleging that the U.S. violated its human rights obligations by failing to take meaningful steps to prevent, investigate, and remedy the exploitation of migrant domestic workers by employers covered by diplomatic immunity.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is meeting in Washington, D.C., for a regular session covering human rights issues in North and South America. This session, the Commission will be holding, at its own initiative, a hearing on the human rights implications of President Trump’s executive orders on the Muslim and refugee ban, immigration enforcement and detention, and the approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline. 6 groups were invited to present testimony including the ACLU.