The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) President Ziad Asali
said, "our concerns about this new program of alien registration based on
national origin seem to have been all too well founded." Asali added, "this
program, which is antithetical to our American values of equal treatment under
the law, seems to be, in practice, a vehicle for incarcerating large numbers of
people who pose no threat and who do not belong in jail. There is no evidence
that this action by the Administration will enhance national security in the
face of terrorist threats against the United States. On the contrary, it might
play into the hands of those who claim that the US government is motivated by
anti-Islamic sentiments."
--------------------
Mass Arrests of Muslim and Jewish Immigrants in America
By Mahbubul Karim (Sohel)
December 19, 2002
Is this really happening? Or is it only a nightmare? The INS in Los Angeles,
California and in other states, detained hundreds of Middle-Eastern Muslim and
Jewish men and boys yesterday. These are the people who came forward to the
INS’ call to register. And their hands were handcuffed with a thank you note.
Is it the anticipated Christmas gift from the Santa?
An unconfirmed report says that more than 2500 people were arrested in the last
few days. INS has flatly denied revealing the number of people in custody. INS
spokesman Mr. Arcauate said that those men detained yesterday had violated the
immigration laws. He sited example of overstaying visa, wanted for crimes, etc.
If these are the reasons, why does the INS not arrest millions of illegal
Mexicans or other foreign nationals who constitute the majority of illegal
immigration problem in America? When Bush strongly denies that America is not
against the peaceful minority immigrants or their faith, does the selective
apprehension of Muslims and Jews conform to the President’s wishes?
Director of American Civil Liberty Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project
comments, “Given the evidence, there is no alarmism in saying this is a round-
up, Attorney General Ashcroft is using the immigrant registration program to
lock up people who already have provided extensive information as part of their
green card applications. Therefore the purpose is clearly not to get
information but rather to selectively arrest, detain and deport Middle Eastern
and Muslim men in the United States." [2]
Why is this selectivity? Why is this deception? Do the real terrorists ever go
to the INS office for registration? Terrorists are shrewd and clever. But the
innocent people are not. They have trusted INS’ proposal completely. They have
followed their government’s direction. And in return they were thrown into the
crowded jails. Sabiha Khan of the Southern California chapter of the Council on
American Islamic Relations said, “Terrorists most likely wouldn't come to the
INS to register. It is really a bad way to go about it. They are being treated
as criminals and that really goes against American ideals of fairness, and
justice and democracy” [1]
American ideals and fairness are on the line. American concept of justice and
democracy are in jeopardy. These Muslims and Jews who have fled their native
governments’ oppressive regimes, who wanted to rebuild their life in American
freedom and American liberty, are denied their dreams, their aspirations. These
Muslims and Jews from Iran know how violent and anti-democratic their
theocratic orthodox regime is. These Muslims and Jews from other middle-eastern
nations know how their basic human rights are mocked at by the extremist
mullahs and their religious police and surrogates. These are the reasons they
have abandoned their beloved homeland. These are the reasons they have embraced
America, the nation built by the immigrants and for the immigrants, as their
destination. And now the same America has incarcerated them without providing a
fair chance.
ACLU reports that in most cases, it is apparent that the INS arrested men who
were simply waiting for approval of their green card applications, or those
with minor visa problems caused by incompetence in the agency itself, which has
been plagued by an inept bureaucracy for years. [2] ACLU sites an example: “the
agency recently failed to process more than 200,000 change of address forms and
then unceremoniously dumped them in the largest underground records facility in
the world – an abandoned mine near Kansas City – putting hundreds of thousands
at risk of wrongful arrest and deportation for failing to report a change of
address.” [2]
This is only one example of INS’ inept bureaucracy and ineptitude for years.
Who can be certain that there are no more reprehensible INS failures waiting to
be discovered tomorrow? And these Muslim and Jewish men and boys are
selectively put into jail to pay for their mistakes. What kind of fair justice
is this?
Hundreds of men and women of Middle-Eastern origins have arranged a protest
today. Most of them were the relatives and friends of these unfairly
incarcerated men. They claim that their husbands, sons and brothers were
victims of government entrapment that they were forced to register with the
Immigration and Naturalization Service and then were arrested for not having
their papers in order, which in some cases were caused by government backlog.
[3] These protesters were carrying colorful posters with the following
signs: “What Next? Concentration Camps?" and "Detain Terrorists Not the
Innocent Immigrants." [3]
“Detain terrorists not the innocent immigrants”. These are the fair words.
These are the words being overlooked in the recent days in the uncontrolled
wastages of U.S. government resources in the fights against terrorists and
terrorism. ACLU’s Ms. Dalia Hashad correctly observes, “It seems unlikely that
a hardened terrorist is going to voluntarily register with the government.” [2]
Terrorists are trained and paid by their masters. They must be having a good
laugh at the INS’ ineptitude.
The frightening part is that now the INS has shown its blatant sharpened teeth,
how many law-abiding Muslims or Jews of these middle-eastern nations would
retain trust in INS? Why would they bother in registering when the looming
threat of incarceration hangs in the vicinity? And the startling observation
Ms. Hashad made is that INS will use the non-registration by the frightened
immigrants as the reason to deport them. This has become a double sword for the
Muslims and the Jews. If they comply with the INS directives they get arrested.
And if they don’t show up because of their immeasurable fear, they will be
apprehended anyway and deported to their lands of oppression.
These arrested men were kept in the detention centers in “absolutely horrible
condition”. [4] Iranian-American lawyer Sohelia Jonoubi told the Reuters news
agency that these detained men were ordered to strip down and given a strip
search. “They were only given a prison jumpsuit, without any underwear, T-
shirts, socks or shoes. They were not given blankets. They are freezing,"
Jonoubi said. [4]
Already there are concerned men and women around the world who are murmuring
whether this is only a prelude to widespread detention of pre-selected
immigrants from certain ethnic or religious background. Lucas Guttentag is one
of them. He heads the West Coast Office of the American Civil Liberties
Uninion's Immigrant Rights Project. He fears the wave of arrests is "a prelude
to much more widespread arrests and deportations. The secrecy gives rise to
obvious concerns about what the INS is doing and whether people's rights are
being respected and whether the problems that arose in the aftermath of 9/11
are being repeated now." he said. [6]
In the fight against the vicious terrorists and terrorism, rebuilding the
broken trusts among all the immigrant groups and the U.S. government is
absolutely necessary. Bush, Powell and other high level U.S. officials have
taken positive steps in the recent days when they publicly repudiated Jerry
Falwell, Pat Robertson and other bigotry filled leaders’ abusive comments
against peaceful Islam and Muslim. Vengeful comments against the innocent Jews
and Judaism by David Duke and other bigots are condemned repeatedly by the
present administration and the media. And still, Ashcroft leaded deception
filled entrapment of innocent immigrants can only make American minorities more
doubtful about their government’s motive and intention.
"I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give
me death!" - as Patrick Henry uttered these powerful words in March 23, 1775
during the wake of American revolution, distressed immigrants have chosen
America over persecution, suspicion and death from their respective nations. In
the jingling of holiday celebration, these American minority immigrants deserve
liberty not incarceration.
References:
1. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl==story&u==/nm/20021219/wl_nm/attack_immigration_dc_4
2. ACLU, “Rounded UP”, December 19, 2002,
http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=503&c= 6
3. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl==story&u==/ap/20021219/ap_on_re_us/immigration_protest_2
4. “U.S. Accused of Entrapment in Immigrant Arrests”, CTV News, December 19,
2002. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1040340547334_27/?
hub==World
5. Picture Reference:
http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8158/5m/images.latimes.com/media/photo/2002-
12/5917191.jpg
6. Megan Garvey, Martha Groves and Henry Weinstein, "Hundreds are held after
visit to INS", Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2002.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-register19dec19,0,436924.story?coll==la%
2Dhome%2Dheadlines
Author’s Note: Mahbubul Karim (Sohel) is a freelance writer. He can be
contacted through the following email address: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
