ACLU, CAIR call for probe into W.H. funding for Muslim surveillance

2/27/12 3:16 PM EST

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic Relations are separately calling for investigations into White House funding of a domestic spying program launched by the New York Police Department against Muslim-Americans.

The AP reported Monday that White House funds managed by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program went to buy equipment and vehicles for a domestic surveillance program designed to infiltrate Muslim groups.

"We are deeply concerned that federal resources may have been used and spying information stored in violation of federal regulations that protect Americans' private and constitutional rights against law enforcement overreach. It's not just Mayor Bloomberg who needs to investigate the NYPD's improper activities, it's now the federal government as well," Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU's National Security Project said in a statement.

"The NYPD is spying on countless innocent Muslims up and down the eastern seaboard, but who is watching the NYPD," said New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said. The NYCLU joined the ALCU in calling for the probe.

"Widespread warrantless surveillance of minority populations, which we rightly condemn when it is conducted by authoritarian regimes, should not be facilitated using taxpayer funds," CAIR communications director Ibrahim Hooper said.

The NYPD program, first reported by the AP, has drawn widespread condemnation from civil rights groups as an example of overreach. But New York City officials have continued to insist that the program is legal and necessary.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that the HIDTA program is run by a policy office that does not "manage or supervise" any law enforcement programs, and that questions on the program are best directed at New York City officials.

As a civil rights group, CAIR itself is not without controversy. They have been accused of promoting non-cooperation with law enforcement and for ties to radical Islam — charges that the group strongly denies.