Posted on 02/09/2004 12:42:07 AM PST by ambrose
Muslims feel excluded from Bush immigration plan
By WAYNE PARRY
The Associated Press
2/8/2004, 12:00 p.m. ET
LODI, N.J. (AP) ? When Ibrahim Baker heard President Bush wants to let illegal immigrants work here legally for three years, he was excited at first.
But the Clifton auto mechanic soon felt the president's plan to "extend a welcoming hand to those whose presence will benefit our nation and our economy" would not help him.
A law requiring men from certain nations suspected of harboring terrorism to register with the government tripped up the 48-year-old Baker, who is being deported to his native Jordan because he overstayed a tourist visa. There is no such requirement for illegal immigrants from Mexico or other Latin American nations.
"I flipped out," he said in an interview at the auto body shop where he was busily fixing the suspension on a Volkswagen, his New York Yankees cap so stained to black from grease and oil that the "NY" on the front had vanished. "It doesn't include people like me."
A White House spokesman said Bush's proposal does not differentiate among illegal workers by nationality, and would apply equally to anyone in this country illegally who holds a job that no American citizen has been willing to take.
But Muslim groups say the plan is aimed more at Mexican and Latino immigrants who illegally crossed the border ? and settled in electorally crucial states.
"I understand that what Mr. Bush did was catering to the Latino and Mexican populations in areas where he needs votes," said Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab-American news in Dearborn, Mich. "Definitely it was not something that takes Arab-Americans or Muslims into account. My problem is that Mr. Bush is catering to a certain segment of the illegal population while ignoring another segment."
Critics of the proposal also claim Muslims who came to this country legally but wound up overstaying visas face deportation risks that Mexicans and others do not, such as the special registration program.
Baker came to the United States from Jordan in 1999 and was supposed to return several months later. Like thousands of Arabs and Muslims in similar situations, he remained here, thereby breaking U.S. immigration law.
Against the advice of friends, Baker complied with the special registration program last April. Immigration officials quickly saw that Baker had overstayed his visa, took him into custody, and began the process of deporting him. He is likely to be sent back home to Jordan in early April, according to his lawyer, Sohail Mohammed, who called the Bush proposal discriminatory.
"Here are folks who complied with the (registration) law, and will not benefit," he said. "But on the other hand, you have people who have been illegal since Day One, and they will benefit."
Kimberly Zanotti, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Newark office, said failing to register under the program leads to a loss of legal status, and exposes a person to possible deportation.
Neither she nor White House spokesman Ken Lisaius could say whether Bush's proposal would help immigrants whose deportation proceedings have already begun, or those at risk of deportation. Lisaius said details are still being worked out with members of Congress.
"The president's proposal doesn't make priorities based on nationality or race," he said. "It is not geared toward a specific nationality or a specific race."
But Aref Assaf, a Palestinian activist and president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of New Jersey, said the plan would do just that.
"It is my strong belief that such proposals would be of no benefit to the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims who are here illegally or whose legal status has expired," he said. "The intense scrutiny of our people will prevent them from enjoying such 'compassionate amnesty.'
"The 9/11 aftermath, the registrations requirements and the continued targeting of immigrants from our part of the world will not be a motivation for many to come out and present themselves to the government," he said. "The thousands who have been fooled earlier will compel the remaining few to stay lost in America."
Baker, who rebuilds engines, fixes brakes and does other automotive work, is struggling to stay in the United States. He sends some of the money he earns here back home to support his parents, wife and five children, ranging in age from 17 to 10.
"My life is going to be hell in Jordan," he said. "I'll be on the street begging. There are no jobs there."
Tough friggen crap!!!
On second thought, maybe it did. Seems to be working. Goodbye.
If I had my druthers, I don't want Muslims OR Mexicans. we don't have enough jobs to go around for Americans.
Help me out here, folks. What part of the above statement could possibly lead you to suspect Mr. Baker really has no place being here, regardless of any present arguments? /obvious sarcasm
Shut up, get out, go home.
That is exactly what the Albanian Muslims did in Serbia, and we fought the Serbs so the Albanians could take over Kosovo. Thank you, Bill Clinton, Madeline Albright, and Sandy Berger.Yup. They made everybody else a second-class citizen. And Half-Bright and company helped them do it.
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