ACLU Sues Boston Police Department for Access to Gang Database

The civil rights group says allegations of gang involvement are being used against Central American youth in immigration court.

Adriana Lafaille, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Massachusetts, said, "We have been hearing for a while from immigration attorneys about the consequence of gang allegations for their clients and the use of gang allegations in the immigration court."

The gang database is maintained by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC). It's a data analysis unit at the police department accessible to state and federal law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. BRIC keeps tabs on gang threats, drug activity and potential terrorism.

The ACLU of Massachusetts has filed suit against Boston Police Department in an effort gains access to the agency's gang database, according to WBUR Radio .

The ACLU and other groups seeking access to the database say that they want to know the demographic background of people in the system—such as race, age, local ZIP code, and nationality.