Rep. Garamendi Votes NO on FISA Section 702 Extension

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) released the following statement after voting NO on a five-year extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA):

"While Section 702 of FISA is an important tool for national security, this authority also opens a backdoor for warrantless surveillance of Americans. This surveillance tool must be reformed to protect Americans' privacy and civil liberties.

"Congress cannot blindly trust that the Trump Administration will not abuse FISA. President Trump has already signaled his willingness to use Americans' personal data to advance a mass deportation agenda. This Administration cannot be relied upon to police itself.

"National security must not come at the expense of Americans' constitutional rights. Congress must impose strong, enforceable guardrails on Section 702. I will continue to fight for privacy rights and oppose any 'clean' reauthorization that fails to include meaningful reforms."

Congressman Garamendi spoke out against the problematic provisions of the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act during an interview on CNN.

You can watch his remarks here.

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