Ahilan T. Arulanantham

Arulanantham learned early in life the importance of civil rights. As a child, he was impacted by relatives seeking refuge in the U.S. from a violent civil war in Sri Lanka.

"A lot of the people that suffered in Sri Lanka [were] people who never did anything wrong, but the government labeled them as terrorists, enemies of the state," Arulanantham said.

Early last year, Arulanantham began representing three Muslim Americans who filed a complaint against the FBI alleging their civil rights were violated when the FBI sent a convicted felon acting as an undercover informant to spy on them and gather information about their personal lives and religious beliefs.

The government claimed that litigating the case would undoubtedly expose sensitive information that could compromise national security.

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney dismissed all claims against the FBI, but allowed the suit to stand against five individual agents who allegedly violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by overseeing the surveillance operation, known internally as "Operation Flex."

The ruling was a crushing blow to Arulanantham, who had hoped to extend a message to the greater Muslim American community that their rights are protected under the law.

"I think it's very important that members of the Muslim community in Southern California and the country feel they have the same access to due process and the court as everyone else," Arulanantham said. "In that aspect it was disappointing. Many Muslim community members will take that as second-class justice."

Arulanantham said he will appeal the district court's decision.

Meanwhile, as the U.S. continues to be divided on the issue of immigration, Arulanantham is focusing on what is at the heart of the matter - people.

"Virtually all of my career has been working on immigrant rights," Arulanantham said.

He is also counsel in a class action on behalf of people detained in immigration detention who have serious mental disorders and allegedly were ordered deported despite not understanding the proceedings.

Arulanantham said one of the plaintiffs in the case is so mentally impaired he can't tell time.

The case is scheduled to go to trial Sept. 7.

"I think I'll always want to work toward protecting the rights of immigrants one way or another," he said, adding that working at the ACLU is a "dream job."

"You get to work [and] do your best to make your vision of a better world a reality."

- CONNIE LOPEZ