[Peace-discuss] Fwd: Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.

[Alfred Kagan]

FYI.  If this can happen in L.A., it is also likely to affect us here.

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>From: Deborah LaFond <dlafonde at albany.edu>
>Subject: Fwd: Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.
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>>http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=1931961
>>
>>Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.
>>                           Wed December 18, 2002 08:47 PM ET
>>                           By Jill Serjeant
>>
>>                           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 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 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, 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."
>>
>>.


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu