National Council of La Raza: Topics

Civil Rights and Justice Related Content Related Publications (43) Related News Items (168) Related Events (4) Related FAQs (3) Related Viewpoints (62)

Discrimination severely limits the economic and social opportunities available to Hispanic Americans. NCLR conducts policy analysis and advocacy activities in the civil rights arena in order to promote and protect equality of opportunity in voting, justice issues, education, employment, housing, and health care for all Americans.

Related Policies

Federal Policies

Criminal and Juvenile Justice: Like all Americans, Hispanics are concerned about crime and the effects it has on youth and families. Some Latinos have experienced an unfair, arbitrary criminal and juvenile justice system.
Voting Rights: The right to vote is a fundamental and basic right guaranteed to all U.S. citizens by the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Every voter has the right to cast an informed and effective vote. This right is extended to all people, including those for whom English is not their first language.
Racial Profiling: Racial profiling tactics not only violate civil rights, they also undermine the ability of law enforcement to enforce the law effectively.
State/Local Police Enforcement of Immigration Laws (CLEAR Act): There have been several attempts to involve state and local police in the enforcement of federal civil immigration laws. While the safety and security of our communities and our country are of the utmost importance, new policies that would allow local police departments to enforce federal civil immigration law will hinder terrorist and other criminal investigations, and have a serious negative impact on Latino communities.