Posted on 12/15/2005 4:43:42 PM PST by Sub-Driver
Muslim group asks U.S. judge to ban border searches ahead of Toronto conference
CAROLYN THOMPSON1 hour, 37 minutes ago
(AP) - A group of Muslim-Americans asked a federal judge Thursday to allow them to travel to a religious conference in Toronto later this month without being fingerprinted, photographed and held for hours at the border, like they were on the way home from last year's gathering.
In a case that weighs the government's anti-terrorism efforts against the rights of its citizens, the New York Civil Liberties Union argued on the group's behalf for a court order prohibiting border agents from stopping and searching Muslim-Americans based solely on their attendance at the annual Reviving the Islamic Spirit conference in Toronto on Dec. 23-29.
Homeland Security officials acknowledged subjecting those who attended last year's conference to lengthy security checks upon their return to the United States, but said they had reason to believe that people associated with terrorism planned to attend the conference or others like it.
NYCLU lawyer Christopher Dunn accused the government of trampling the plaintiffs' right to practise religion in the name of homeland security.
"We fully respect the government's concerns about terrorism. That does not mean, however, that the constitution disappears at the border," Dunn said.
A lawyer for the government said that while the stops may have taken too long, border agents did what was necessary to protect the country in light of credible intelligence.
"The concern was not that they went to a religious conference. The concern was that individuals, money, documents or weapons were going to get smuggled across the border," said Anthony Coppolino, who argued against the group's request.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
How do you say "No dice" in whatever stupid language they speak?
suuure! they should dish out body cavity searches. one of them might have Osama up the sunshineless void.
Shoot the SOB's for all I care.
Let's start with..........
"A group of American-Muslims asked a federal judge..."
We'll get it right - sooner or later.
LVM
I think we should do some of those probes people who claim they were taken by UFOs talk about! :-)
I think we should do some of those probes people who claim they were taken by UFOs talk about! :-)
Deport, detain, and defenestrate if necessary..
Puh-Freakng-Leeze!
Nobody is denying them their right to practice their religion. They were not prevented from attending the conference. They were not denied re-entry. They merely suffered a little inconvenience at the border. And I can attest that that can happen to anybody.
And since they were merely inconvenienced, how about we weigh that against the way their fellow muslims "inconvenienced" 3000+ Americans in 2001.
It's only through the basic decency of the American People that we are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and haven't re-opened Camp Manzanar and suchlike. I, for one, think it's high time the so-called muslim-American community started showing a little respect for this, instead of their continual whining.
If they don't want any more inconveniences, why don't they just hand over the terrorists we all know are among them? Otherwise, if another attack happens, things will change, and it will turn the worse for them.
Let me think about that. NO. Next!
I would let them go out without searches but they might find themselves being looked at with a fine tooth comb comming back in.
As should the NY branch of the ACLU.
That's a great idea! And I love the idea of doing it twice just to make sure. ;)
Yuck. Your comment evokes a terrible picture. Who would want to do those searches?
TRANSLATION FROM PC TO REALITY:
Nazi group asks U.S. judge to ban border searches ahead of Toronto conference
CAROLYN THOMPSON1 hour, 37 minutes ago
(AP) - A group of Nazi-Americans asked a federal judge Thursday to allow them to travel to a terrorist conference in Toronto later this month without being fingerprinted, photographed and held for hours at the border, like they were on the way home from last year's gathering.
In a case that weighs the government's anti-terrorism efforts against the rights of its citizens, the New York Civil Liberties Union argued on the group's behalf for a court order prohibiting border agents from stopping and searching Nazi-Americans based solely on their attendance at the annual Reviving the Nazi Spirit conference in Toronto on Dec. 23-29.
Homeland Security officials acknowledged subjecting those who attended last year's conference to lengthy security checks upon their return to the United States, but said they had reason to believe that people associated with terrorism planned to attend the conference or others like it.
NYCLU lawyer Christopher Dunn accused the government of trampling the plaintiffs' right to practice Nazism in the name of homeland security.
"We fully respect the government's concerns about terrorism. That does not mean, however, that the constitution disappears at the border," Dunn said.
A lawyer for the government said that while the stops may have taken too long, border agents did what was necessary to protect the country in light of credible intelligence.
"The concern was not that they went to a terrorist conference. The concern was that individuals, money, documents or weapons were going to get smuggled across the border," said Anthony Coppolino, who argued against the group's request.
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