Five Muslims, all long-time U.S. residents, are suing the Department of Homeland Security, claiming that the department has been instrumental in causing delays in their citizenship and permanent residency requests.
Two of the plaintiffs applied for U.S. Citizenship in 2007, but their applications for citizenship were denied in 2012. Another plaintiff, a Muslim refugee from Somalia, has been seeking permanent residency since 2006.
The ACLU of Southern California is representing the plaintiffs in Los Angeles federal court. It claims the plaintiffs have been unfairly flagged under the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CAARP). The plaintiffs’ attorney contends the program has been used by Homeland Security to illegally blacklist her clients’ applications without telling them why.