A coalition of 52 Asian American and allied organizations are calling for congressional action to reform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and end mass warrantless spying on Americans.

The coalition, led by the Asian American Scholar Forum, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Chinese for Affirmative Action, and Stop AAPI Hate has issued an open letter to all members of the U.S. Congress opposing reauthorization of FISA unless comprehensive reforms are implemented to end what the group describes as a litany of unfettered and unlawful “backdoor” warrantless searches that amount to mass spying, racial profiling, and discrimination against innocent people.

Noting recent revelations that federal agents have used their surveillance authority under FISA Section 702—often informed by racial animus—to target political activities unrelated to specific national security threats, the group is calling for reforms that include a mandate requiring warrants to access Americans’ communications, bolstering judicial review of foreign intelligence surveillance, and placing reasonable limits on the scope of federal surveillance powers.

“Unjust government surveillance is a growing threat to all Americans’ freedom and civil liberties, and Asian Americans are no exception,” said AAJC president John C. Yang. “An increasing number of government leaders are using geopolitical tensions with the Chinese government and other countries to justify mass spying, racial profiling, and discrimination of innocent people. We must be invested in the fight to reform Section 702 of FISA because our privacy, our civil rights, and our civil liberties are at stake.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Evgeniy Shkolenko)