Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.

Reuters ^ | 12/18/2002 | Jill Serjeant

[John Lenin]

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. A Justice Department (news - web sites) spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The head of the southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) 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 was 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, 50 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."

[BenR2]

Merry Christmas!

[John Lenin]

Don't scare me, I still have to buy some gifts. :-)

[optimistically_conservative]

Nope, sometimes I disagree with people I consider very intelligent and thoughtful, and carefully reconsider my position.

[Colorado Doug]

You don't think any Arab Christians have been arrested?

Let's just say that the odds are against it.

[optimistically_conservative]

News of the mass arrests came first in southern California, which is home to more than 600,000 Iranian exiles and their families.

Will they have to close all the gas stations and mini-marts?

I'm ashamed of myself now, forgive me Abu ;(

[Lizard_King]

Interestingly, one of the leading Arab apologists and fomenters of terrorist rhetoric, "professor" Edward Said, still managed to vote in Florida while his citizenship was being processed. Despite that being a felony, he was not prosecuted or arrested for it.

By the way, I am fairly certain universities extend the "visiting faculty" to foreigners of all persuasions, the more rabidly leftist and anti-American the better. Sure, that's far from being tenured faculty, but they sure do have a loud voice.

[Lizard_King]

"What happened to liberty and justice?."

Your people crashed an airplane headlong into it, and you have done...nothing.

It is really putting fright and apprehension in the community.

1. About damn time someone other than Americans felt some "fear and apprehension".

2. Compared to the treatment one would get for a similar offense in any of your countries of origin, I would venture to say they have quite forgotten what real fear is all about.

"I have to visit the family for each one today. Most of them have small kids [who are still too small for their dynamite vests]"

I could not believe this article when I saw it. Next thing you know the Supreme Court will start demanding strict enforcement of the Constitution...naaaah...

[chnsmok]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/12/17/1039656391236.html

Shows Saudi Arabia was added.

"The original list of five countries was expanded on November 6 to include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. On Monday, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were added."

[John Lenin]

It's not so much Who showed up, it's Who didn't show up.

[John Lenin]

Post #90 was meant for you.

[truth_seeker]

"Honestly, I think Ashcroft's bulb is on the same circuit with Lott's.

Is he making it safer for me by handing government to the Democrats?"

So you think voters will object to the administration, for detaining immigrants, from dangerous origins, for violating the terms of their immigration?

I think the opposite will occur--voters will support this action, and the administration which took it.

Your 12-17-02 sign up date is interesting, and linking Aschcroft to Lott, is idiotic. This is serious national security business.

Lott may be a dim bulb, but it is being driven by a media frenzied conspiracy to hurt Republicans. The public supports Aschcroft, even if the ACLU and CAIR seem "outraged."

[gubamyster]

Round 'em up, move 'em out ping

[gubamyster]

INS spokesman Arcaute said those arrested had violated immigration laws, overstayed their visas, or were wanted for crimes. The program was 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.

I certainly am glad they have detained these criminals & I hope the next step is deportation. However, it is absolutely pathetic that the INS has to rely on criminals voluntarily turning themselves in to authorities. Due to their incompetence, the INS is not able to track violators of immigration laws, visa overstayers, and those wanted for crimes. Their lack of records for terrorists students and other visitors shows complete ineptness on the part of the INS. Imagine if the police had to wait for murders, rapists and bank robbers to voluntarily turn themselves in to the local precinct house!

[DoughtyOne]

It is beyond my comprehension how anyone could object to folks who have broken our laws being punished accordingly. Whether the offending parties are Iranian, Iraqis, Mexicans or any other group, the same rules apply. This isn't the same as a Japanese internment situation, but then the ACLU knows that. They rank right up there with the Democrats, the NAACP, the Black Caucus, La Raza, Mecha and a host of other groups in our nation who demagogue the issues constantly.

[Monty22]

The INS, like the ATF, should be completely disbanded. They are completely useless orgs at this point. The ATF should not be replaced. The INS should be replaced with a real agency.

Seriously, why do taxpayers put up with this? This is an outrage. This is what it's all about. All the rest is pure BS to me. All I want is a secure country to work and thrive in.

If that takes us wiping out the islamic world, good. If that takes us so and so, good.

But the situation, with the INS now, is repulsive and makes me physically ill.

[optimistically_conservative]

You may be right. I've never been a good judge of how the electorate will react - I thought Dole would cream Clinton in 96.

If INS or DOJ has good reason to hold these (unspecified number of) people. They need to provide it, as quickly as possible and as openly as possible.

I take National Security seriously, in fact I'm making a living at it (ergo the interesting sign up date). I'm constitutionally sworn to protect and defend the constitution. So is Attorney General Ashcroft. He is in a better position to make judgement calls on this then I am. But I'm skeptical on this one. I'm skeptical of the federal government in general, and you wouldn't believe the irony in that.

[Mong]

"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"

-----

Cool. They should be tortured into admitting that they have sympathesize or have connections to al-quaalude, too. Then their families can be put into the detainment facilities too, and their assets siezed. this could help with national debt, 'specially if there is some oil money. very likely, the money would be used to support terrorism anyway.

They could even sell off their Persion rugs in those auctions like the DEA has when they sells assests of a busted a drug dealer.

Leave their gold fillings alone though, to do otherwise would be uncivilized.

[gubamyster]

It is beyond my comprehension how anyone could object to folks who have broken our laws being punished accordingly.

People who break the law do not respect the law. Therefore they feel they have every right to complain about a system for which they have no respect. No respect for the law translates into no remorse, no contrition, and no apology when you break the law - only whinning about "how you been done wrong."

[DoughtyOne]

Sounds just like a ten year old's defense to me. "It isn't fair!" Middle easterners do seem to have a bit of a problem reasoning on an adult level. Course it's only fair to mention illegal-Mexican immigrants as well. And when you get right down to it, the defenders of illegal immigration qualify as well. "It's the law!" Judge Dredd