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The USA Patriot Act alone violates key Bill of Rights protections, including:
- Fifth and Fourteen Amendment due process rights by permitting indefinite detentions of undocumented immigrants that now apply to anyone anywhere in the world, including US citizens for any reason or none at all.
- First Amendment freedom of association rights the Supreme Court considers essential free expression. Now anyone may be charged and prosecuted for their alleged association with an "undesirable group."
- Fourth Amendment protections from unreasonable searches and seizures. As a result, personal privacy rights were lost.
- Authorized unchecked government surveillance powers to access personal records, monitor financial transactions, as well as student, medical and other personal records.
"Sneak and peak" searches are now permissible through:
- "delayed notice" warrants;
- roving wiretaps;
- email tracking; and
- internet and cell phone surveillance.
In addition:
- secret evidence may be obtained lawlessly and withheld from defense lawyers;
- immigrants may be denied their right to counsel if unable to provide their own; and
- built-in safeguards are ended to let domestic criminal and foreign intelligence operations share information so CIA can now spy domestically.
For the first time, in fact, the Act also created the federal crime of "domestic terrorism," applicable to US citizens as well as aliens.
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