Hi - this seems relevant this morning - I read it without surprise - and with the fascination that in 2002 in the USA only men are regarded as a potential threat... what can I say?
I suppose to bring these things together would get closer to what Julie was asking... anyway, enough for now Franc > Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up... > > LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranian and > > other Middle East citizens were in southern > > California jails on Wednesday after coming > > forward to comply with a new rule to register > > with immigration authorities only to wind up > > handcuffed and behind bars. > > > Shocked and frustrated Islamic and immigrant > > groups estimate that more than 500 people have > > been arrested in Los Angeles, neighboring Orange > > County and San Diego in the past three days under > > a new nationwide anti-terrorism program. Some > > unconfirmed reports put the figure as high as > > 1,000. > > > The arrests sparked a demonstration by hundreds > > of Iranians outside a Los Angeles immigration > > office. The protesters carried banners saying > > "What's next? Concentration camps?" and "What > > happened to liberty and justice?." > > > A spokesman for the Immigration and > > Naturalization Service said no numbers of people > > arrested would be made public. A Justice > > Department spokesman could not be reached for > > comment. > > > The head of the southern California chapter of > > the American Civil Liberties Union compared the > > arrests to the internment of Japanese Americans > > in camps during the Second World War. > > > "I think it is shocking what is happening. It is > > reminiscent of what happened in the past with the > > internment of Japanese Americans. We are getting > > a lot of telephone calls from people. We are > > hearing that people went down wanting to > > cooperate and then they were detained," said > > Ramona Ripston, the ACLU's executive director. > > > JAILS OVERFLOWING > > > One activist said local jails were so overcrowded > > that the immigrants could be sent to Arizona, > > where they could face weeks or months in prisons > > awaiting hearings before immigration judges or > > deportation. > > > "It is a shock. You don't expect this to happen. > > It is really putting fright and apprehension in > > the community. People who come from these > > countries -- this is what they expect from their > > government. Not from America," said Sabiha Khan > > of the Southern California chapter of the Council > > on American Islamic Relations. > > > The arrests were part of a post Sept. 11 program > > that requires all males over 16 from a list of 20 > > Arab or Middle East countries, who do not have > > permanent resident status in the United States, > > to register with U.S. immigration authorities. > > > Monday was the deadline for men from Iran, Iraq, > > Syria, Libya and Sudan. News of the mass arrests > > came first in southern California, which is home > > to more than 600,000 Iranian exiles and their > > families. > > > Officials declined to give figures for those > > arrested or for the numbers of people who turned > > up to register, be fingerprinted and have their > > photographs taken. > > > "We are not releasing any numbers," said > > Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) > > spokesman Francisco Arcaute. > > > CALLS FOR HELP > > > Islamic groups and the local chapter of the > > American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said they > > had been swamped with calls for help. > > > INS spokesman Arcaute said those arrested had > > violated immigration laws, overstayed their > > visas, or were wanted for crimes. The program was > > prompted by concern about the lack of records on > > tourists, students and other visitors to the > > United States after the Sept. 11 hijack plane > > attacks on New York and Washington. > > > Islamic community leaders said many of the > > detainees had been living, working and paying > > taxes in the United States for five or 10 years, > > and had families here. > > > "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," Khan said. > > > The Iranian protesters said many of those > > detained were victims of official delays in > > processing visa and green card requests. > > > "My father, they just took him in," one young man > > told reporters. "They've been treating him like > > an animal. They put him in a room with, like, 50 > > other people and no bed or anything." > > > Khan said one of those in jail was a doctor, who > > was being sponsored for U.S. citizenship when his > > sponsor died. > > > One Syrian man said he went to register in Orange > > County with a dozen friends. He was the only one > > to come out of the INS office. "All my friends > > are inside right now," M.M. Trapici, 45, told > > reporters. "I have to visit the family for each > > one today. Most of them have small kids." > > > View other groups in this category. > >
