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Posted on 06/05/2002 12:14:17 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Outraging Arab and immigration groups, the U.S. government will require as many as 100,000 visitors a year -- most of them Middle Eastern men -- to be fingerprinted, photographed and registered in an effort to monitor possible terrorists, officials said on Wednesday.
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"This is about terrorist tracking," one official said. "It is one way to make sure we are doing everything we can to monitor possible terrorists."
The change was prompted by concern about the lack of records on tourists, students and other foreign visitors after the Sept. 11 hijacked plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon (news - web sites), the officials said.
The plan drew instant condemnation.
"Hundreds of thousands of people are going to have to register with the authorities. I just find it galling. It will alienate a lot of people," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
'SMACKS OF TOTALITARIAN TACTICS'
The plan "smacks of the sort of tactics" used by totalitarian regimes like Iraq, he said. "It's contrary to everything we know, both pre- and post-Sept. 11, about how to track terrorists."
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, a policy group, agreed, saying the change would add to an already overburdened process and would fail to help improve security.
He said it was adopted despite concerns from the State Department and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. He called it a political initiative designed to send the message the administration was "doing something" about terrorism.
U.S. officials acknowledged there would be complaints the plan amounted to a form of profiling because it targeted mainly Middle Eastern men, but said the measure was necessary after the Sept. 11 attacks.
It was the latest counterterrorism plan from Ashcroft to spark criticism. Last week, he gave the FBI (news - web sites) broad new powers to spy domestically at places like mosques and political rallies.
Under rules adopted in 1998, only visitors from Iraq, Iran, Libya and Sudan had to go through the process that includes registering with federal authorities, photographing and fingerprinting.
The new plan would expanded the scrutiny to countries identified as having the highest risk for terrorism. The officials declined to identify the nations, but acknowledged it was mainly Middle Eastern countries.
The officials estimated the change would affect about 100,000 visitors to the United States each year.
Not all visitors from the countries would have to register, the officials said. They said the program was aimed at males.
The same approach was used by Ashcroft as part of the counterterrorism program announced in March to question 3,000 more foreign nationals who recently came to this country, most of whom came from Middle Eastern nations.
The initial list for questioning in November totaled about 5,000 men, aged 18 to 33, who entered the United States on non-immigrant visas after Jan. 1, 2000, and have passports from countries where Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s al Qaeda network has been present or active.
What did we know?.......That Middle Eatern men are planning future terrorist attacks on America.
When did we know it?.......We know it now.
The Liberals want to throw out the "When did he know and when did he know it" question but still scream like stuck pigs when the U.S. takes the steps that are necessary to guard against the terrorist threats.
Then stay home.
I agree. They shouldn't even let the low life pieces of crap into the country under any circumstances. They'll turn it into a cesspool like they do everywhere they live. Screw'em!!!
This applies to any group that cries out "profiling!" whenever it is obvious that that group has an outstanding preponderance of the criminal element.
Why? Because Arab and Muslim names are so confusing. Especially to the low IQ types in our Federal bureaucracies. One or two letters off and the name is worthless in the database. Muslims/Arabs know this and purposely misspell their names a bit.. Also many Muslim terrorists love to have multiple identities and aliases. All part of the intrigue and deception the Islamics are so in love with. Especially when they deal with the non-muslim.
Since Mr. Zogby is so sure that this action will fail to help improve security, he must know what the next terrorist act is and how they're going to carry it out. I sure hope his phone calls are being monitored. He's already given probable cause.
I wish these armchair liberals like Zogby would just once voice some reason instead of knee-jerk reactions to clearly warranted security measures.
Waht the heck do you call an alienated alien anyway?
Fingerprinted??...they way they carry on youd think we were keeping the fingers....hmmmm kinda hard to pull a trigger without one.......
Tell it to Arafat, Sadam Hussein, Al Quida, et al. You can change the Arab image, it'll take time, but you can do it (even though you really don't want to)
"Hundreds of thousands of people are going to have to register with the authorities. I just find it galling. It will alienate a lot of people," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
Does that mean they will stay away? Cool!
I was scheduled to travel to a country where I was instructed to bring plenty of extra passport photos to leave in the little towns I would be visiting. I also had to submit a minute-by-minute itinerary so the local "KGB" could keep track of me.
Isn't it interesting that the very people whose governments routinely engage is such tactics are the ones who are screaming the loudest when THEY have to undergo the same tactics?
the U.S. government will require as many as 100,000 visitors a year -- most of them Middle Eastern men -- to be fingerprinted,
Why are we allowing 100,000 Middle Eastern men in our country every year in light of what the hell has happened? WTF is up?
That's almost 8,500 a MONTH!!!!
Do we want almost 8,500 Middle Eastern men strolling into this country EVERY MONTH?
What the Sam Hill is wrong with this government?
Good Gawd! I am sick and tired of hearing that one group or another is feeling "profiled".
It is nice to see that GWB and Ashcroft have the gonads to take a little heat in the process of doing the right thing (at least on this issue, anyway!)
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