Newsletter: August 2025

Chip Gibbons joins Majority Report on Trump’s war on free speech

Defending Rights & Dissent Policy Director Chip Gibbons appeared on Majority Report to discuss the widespread crackdown on free speech in support of Palestine, with particular focus on the arrest and prosecution of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil—who was released last month but continues to fight deportation. Chip drew parallels between Trump’s attacks on pro-Palestine protest with past U.S. crackdowns on dissent, including the Palmer Raids in the 1920s and the McCarthy era of the 1950s.

Watch video of Chip’s discussion with host Emma Vigeland here.

Defending Rights & Dissent’s FOIA discoveries

We’re continuing to use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to expose civil liberties abuses across the U.S. government. Just this month Defending Rights & Dissent published three discoveries based on our FOIA investigations.

• DHS Distributed “Situational Awareness Bulletin” About Film ‘How To Blow Up A Pipeline’: The Department of Homeland Security sent a “situational awareness bulletin,” created by the North Texas Fusion Center, in advance of the release of the 2022 film How To Blow Up A Pipeline, to law enforcement agencies across the country.
• Defending Rights & Dissent Lawsuit Uncovers FBI Surveillance of Journalists and Peace Activists at Left Forum: Our FOIA investigation uncovered evidence that the FBI sent two agents to secretly attend the annual Left Forum conference in 2018. The agents attended a panel on ‘Russiagate and WikiLeaks’ as well as a comedy set later in the conference and approached the panel host.
• Defending Rights & Dissent, Brennan Center for Justice, Obtain FBI Guidelines for Counter Intelligence Monitoring of Social Media: As part of a lawsuit we brought with the Brennan Center for Justice, we’ve obtained FBI guidance on the Bureau’s ability to monitor social media for counterintelligence and law enforcement purposes.

We’re also continuing to litigate our FOIA request for all FBI files on WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, with the first hearing in our lawsuit at the District Court of District of Columbia. In its first and so far only release, the FBI “processed” 260 pages of files and withheld all but ten in their entirety.

No Secret Police! Unmasking ICE agents

Defending Rights & Dissent is working to force law enforcement to do the bare minimum: identify themselves when conducting official business. Trump has deployed masked ICE agents to conduct immigration raids without warrants, snatching people away in unmarked cars from their homes, their court appearances, and their workplaces. Videos show agents refusing to name themselves, concealing badge numbers, and wearing masks to hide their faces.

We organized support in the House for the ‘No Secret Police Act’ which would require ICE agents and other law enforcement officers to display their names and badge numbers and prohibit them from wearing masks that shield their identity. We also mobilized opposition to the Senate’s ‘Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act,’ which would make it a crime to publicize the identities of our public officials.

Panel Event: “Exposing the U.S. Role in the Gaza Genocide”

Defending Rights & Dissent convened a panel of experts to discuss their efforts to document and expose the extent of U.S. governmental support for Israel’s genocidal crimes in Gaza, as well as how to hold our government accountable.

Historian and analyst Mouin Rabbani talked about how the current climate differs from past efforts to decouple Israel and the U.S. Former State Department official Annelle Sheline explained how the Biden administration constructed a facade of human rights concern while shutting down internal mechanisms for dissent.

Prem Thakker discussed his efforts to question government officials as a political reporter Zeteo News. And our own Policy Director Chip Gibbons talked about student activists under attack for protesting U.S. Gaza policy, and how Defending Rights & Dissent uses the Freedom of Information Act to expose how the U.S. works with McCarthyite groups to silence dissent.

Watch the full panel discussion here.

Upcoming Event:

Defending Rights & Dissent continues to expose U.S. complicity in war crimes. Next week, we’re hosting a one-on-one conversation with Gaza Humanitarian Foundation whistleblower Anthony Aguilar. Register now to join us August 12th at 3:30pm ET.