[Peace-discuss] Fwd: :Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up: Lawsuit against
Ashcroft, INS -- Washington Times Dec 24
Al Kagan
akagan at uiuc.edu
Wed Dec 25 13:21:30 CST 2002
>Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 12:08:40 -0800 (PST)
>From: Irfan Ahmad <irfansahmad at yahoo.com>
>Subject: :Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up: Lawsuit
>against Ashcroft, INS -- Washington Times Dec 24
>To: Alfred Kagan <akagan at uiuc.edu>
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>Al:
>
>Thanks for all your efforts. Here is an update on the situation, as it
>
>seems advocacy groups have a pivotal role to play at this juncture.
>
>Irfan
>
>============================================
>
>Lawsuit against Ashcroft, INS
>By Anwar Iqbal
>UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
>
> WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Several Muslims civil liberties
>groups Monday filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General John
>Ashcroft and the Immigration and Naturalization Service for what
>they say is the unlawful arrest of hundreds of Muslims.
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> The arrests were part of an INS campaign to register millions
>of aliens living in this country.
> So far, visitors and long-time residents from mainly 20 Muslim
>countries have been ordered to register with the INS but the list
>could be further expanded.
> The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central
>District of California, asserts the INS unlawfully arrested large
>numbers of people, Dec. 16 through Dec. 18 in Los Angeles as they
>came forward to voluntarily comply with new "special registration"
>requirements.
> Four of the hundreds arrested as a result of the new INS policy
>are co-plaintiffs, along with two others ! who are afraid to
>register due to the illegal arrests.
> The lawsuit takes issue with four aspects of the recent arrests
>and seeks an immediate injunction to avoid similar detentions during
>upcoming registrations.
> Citizens and nationals of 13 countries including Afghanistan,
>Algeria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen are required to register by
>Jan. 10 while those of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are to register by
>Feb. 21.
> The lawsuit -- filed by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
>Committee, Alliance of Iranian Americans, Council on American
>Islamic-Relations, and the National Council of Pakistani Americans
>-- states the arrests were illegal because the government did not
>obtain the necessary arrest warrants.
> It says it is unlawful and unjust to arrest and deport people
>who are eligible to apply to legalize their status based on family
>relationsh! ips or their employment.
> Some detainees with avenues available to legalize their status
>are being detained without bail or bail hearings, the plaintiffs
>argue.
> They say the fear of mass arrests created by these detentions
>will obviously inhibit compliance by people facing similar
>registration deadlines in the near future.
> The Muslim advocacy groups are seeking:
> 1. An injunction ordering the government not to arrest any
>additional persons in the "special registration" process without
>appropriate arrest warrants as required by existing federal laws;
> 2. An injunction preventing the deportation of detainees who
>have avenues available to legalize their status; and
> 3. An injunction requiring that the INS not hold detainees
>without bond or bond hearings if the detainees have a mech! anism to
>legalize their status.
> Although the special registration policy has been presented as
>a national security measure designed to counter potential terrorist
>threats, the INS has been using the registration process to not only
>enforce immigration law but to arrest and deport people who have
>complied with the law at every stage and are on the road to becoming
>permanent residents, the plaintiffs say.
> The effort to deport law-abiding people who could just as
>easily be allowed to continue the immigration process seriously
>undermines prospects for future compliance and constitutes an absurd
>waste of resources, they argue.
> The mass arrests, they say, have further eroded confidence in
>the fairness of the INS and immigration system among Arab and Muslim
>communities.
> Dec. 16 was the first in a series of deadlines for special
>registration, which ! are set to culminate in 2004 with the
>registration of all foreign nationals in the United States.
> The mass arrests which took place in Los Angeles last week, and
>the lawsuit filed Monday, have profound significance for the future
>of the registration process in many immigrant communities, and
>immigrants' rights in general, the plaintiffs said.
> The lead attorneys in the case are Peter A. Schey and Carlos R.
>Holguin of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. Other
>co-counsel include several attorneys in the ADC Legal Department,
>Babak Sotoodeh of AIA, Khurrum Wahid of CAIR, Joannie Chang of the
>Asian Law Caucus, and several California law firms.
>
><http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20021224-123107-1546r.htm>http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20021224-123107-1546r.htm
>
--
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
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