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CounterPunch
December
20, 2002
Is This Really
Happening?
Mass Arrests of Muslim and Jewish Immigrants in America
by MAHBUBUL KARIN (SOHEL)
Is this really happening? Or is it only a nightmare?
The INS in Los Angeles, California and in other states, detained
hundreds of Middle-Eastern Muslim and Jewish men and boys yesterday.
These are the people who came forward to the INS' call to register.
And their hands were handcuffed with a thank you note. Is it
the anticipated Christmas gift from the Santa?
An unconfirmed report says that more
than 2500 people were arrested in the last few days. INS has
flatly denied revealing the number of people in custody. INS
spokesman Mr. Arcauate said that those men detained yesterday
had violated the immigration laws. He sited example of overstaying
visa, wanted for crimes, etc. If these are the reasons, why does
the INS not arrest millions of illegal Mexicans or other foreign
nationals who constitute the majority of illegal immigration
problem in America? When Bush strongly denies that America is
not against the peaceful minority immigrants or their faith,
does the selective apprehension of Muslims and Jews conform to
the President's wishes?
Director of American Civil Liberty Union's
Immigrants' Rights Project comments, "Given the evidence,
there is no alarmism in saying this is a round-up, Attorney General
Ashcroft is using the immigrant registration program to lock
up people who already have provided extensive information as
part of their green card applications. Therefore the purpose
is clearly not to get information but rather to selectively arrest,
detain and deport Middle Eastern and Muslim men in the United
States." [2]
Why is this selectivity? Why is this
deception? Do the real terrorists ever go to the INS office for
registration? Terrorists are shrewd and clever. But the innocent
people are not. They have trusted INS' proposal completely. They
have followed their government's direction. And in return they
were thrown into the crowded jails. Sabiha Khan of the Southern
California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations
said, "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" [1]
American ideals and fairness are on the
line. American concept of justice and democracy are in jeopardy.
These Muslims and Jews who have fled their native governments'
oppressive regimes, who wanted to rebuild their life in American
freedom and American liberty, are denied their dreams, their
aspirations. These Muslims and Jews from Iran know how violent
and anti-democratic their theocratic orthodox regime is. These
Muslims and Jews from other middle-eastern nations know how their
basic human rights are mocked at by the extremist mullahs and
their religious police and surrogates. These are the reasons
they have abandoned their beloved homeland. These are the reasons
they have embraced America, the nation built by the immigrants
and for the immigrants, as their destination. And now the same
America has incarcerated them without providing a fair chance.
ACLU reports that in most cases, it is
apparent that the INS arrested men who were simply waiting for
approval of their green card applications, or those with minor
visa problems caused by incompetence in the agency itself, which
has been plagued by an inept bureaucracy for years. [2] ACLU
sites an example: "the agency recently failed to process
more than 200,000 change of address forms and then unceremoniously
dumped them in the largest underground records facility in the
world - an abandoned mine near Kansas City - putting hundreds
of thousands at risk of wrongful arrest and deportation for failing
to report a change of address." [2]
This is only one example of INS' inept
bureaucracy and ineptitude for years. Who can be certain that
there are no more reprehensible INS failures waiting to be discovered
tomorrow? And these Muslim and Jewish men and boys are selectively
put into jail to pay for their mistakes. What kind of fair justice
is this?
Hundreds of men and women of Middle-Eastern
origins have arranged a protest today. Most of them were the
relatives and friends of these unfairly incarcerated men. They
claim that their husbands, sons and brothers were victims of
government entrapment that they were forced to register with
the Immigration and Naturalization Service and then were arrested
for not having their papers in order, which in some cases were
caused by government backlog. [3] These protesters were carrying
colorful posters with the following signs: "What Next? Concentration
Camps?" and "Detain Terrorists Not the Innocent Immigrants."
[3]
"Detain terrorists not the innocent
immigrants". These are the fair words. These are the words
being overlooked in the recent days in the uncontrolled wastages
of U.S. government resources in the fights against terrorists
and terrorism. ACLU's Ms. Dalia Hashad correctly observes, "It
seems unlikely that a hardened terrorist is going to voluntarily
register with the government." [2] Terrorists are trained
and paid by their masters. They must be having a good laugh at
the INS' ineptitude.
The frightening part is that now the
INS has shown its blatant sharpened teeth, how many law-abiding
Muslims or Jews of these middle-eastern nations would retain
trust in INS? Why would they bother in registering when the looming
threat of incarceration hangs in the vicinity? And the startling
observation Ms. Hashad made is that INS will use the non-registration
by the frightened immigrants as the reason to deport them. This
has become a double sword for the Muslims and the Jews. If they
comply with the INS directives they get arrested. And if they
don't show up because of their immeasurable fear, they will be
apprehended anyway and deported to their lands of oppression.
These arrested men were kept in the detention
centers in "absolutely horrible condition". [4] Iranian-American
lawyer Sohelia Jonoubi told the Reuters news agency that these
detained men were ordered to strip down and given a strip search.
"They were only given a prison jumpsuit, without any underwear,
T-shirts, socks or shoes. They were not given blankets. They
are freezing," Jonoubi said. [4]
Already there are concerned men and women
around the world who are murmuring whether this is only a prelude
to widespread detention of pre-selected immigrants from certain
ethnic or religious background. Lucas Guttentag is one of them.
He heads the West Coast Office of the American Civil Liberties
Uninion's Immigrant Rights Project. He fears the wave of arrests
is "a prelude to much more widespread arrests and deportations.
The secrecy gives rise to obvious concerns about what the INS
is doing and whether people's rights are being respected and
whether the problems that arose in the aftermath of 9/11 are
being repeated now." he said. [6]
In the fight against the vicious terrorists
and terrorism, rebuilding the broken trusts among all the immigrant
groups and the U.S. government is absolutely necessary. Bush,
Powell and other high level U.S. officials have taken positive
steps in the recent days when they publicly repudiated Jerry
Falwell, Pat Robertson and other bigotry filled leaders' abusive
comments against peaceful Islam and Muslim. Vengeful comments
against the innocent Jews and Judaism by David Duke and other
bigots are condemned repeatedly by the present administration
and the media. And still, Ashcroft leaded deception filled entrapment
of innocent immigrants can only make American minorities more
doubtful about their government's motive and intention.
"I know not what course others may
take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
- as Patrick Henry uttered these powerful words in March 23,
1775 during the wake of American revolution, distressed immigrants
have chosen America over persecution, suspicion and death from
their respective nations. In the jingling of holiday celebration,
these American minority immigrants deserve liberty not incarceration.
Mahbubul Karim (Sohel) is a freelance writer. He can be contacted through
the following email address: sohelkarim@yahoo.com.
1.story.news.yahoo.com/
2. ACLU, "Rounded
UP", December 19, 2002,
3. story.news.yahoo.com/
4. "U.S.
Accused of Entrapment in Immigrant Arrests", CTV News,
December 19, 2002.
5. Picture
Reference
6. Megan Garvey, Martha Groves and Henry
Weinstein, "Hundreds
are held after visit to INS", Los Angeles Times, December
19, 2002.
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