Los Angeles - Hundreds of Middle Eastern citizens are sitting in southern California jails.
They came forward to comply with a new rule to register with United States immigration authorities but ended up handcuffed and behind bars.
Shocked Islamic and immigrant groups estimate that more than 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, neighbouring Orange County and San Diego in the past three days under the new anti-terrorism programme.
Some unconfirmed reports put the figure as high as a thousand.
| 'What's next? Concentration camps?' |
The arrests sparked a demonstration by hundreds of Iranians outside a Los Angeles immigration office on Wednesday.
The protestors carried banners saying "What's next? Concentration camps?" and "What happened to liberty and justice?".
Continues Below ↓
A spokesperson for the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (INS) said the number of people arrested would not be made public.
The head of the southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) compared the arrests to the placement of Japanese Americans in camps during World War 2.
The ACLU's executive director, Ramona Ripston, said: "I think it is shocking what is happening. It is reminiscent of what happened in the past with the internment of Japanese Americans.
| 'Terrorists most likely wouldn't register' |
"We are getting a lot of telephone calls. We are hearing that people went down wanting to co-operate and then they were detained."
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-September 11 programme that requires all males over 16 from a list of 20 Middle Eastern countries - who do not have permanent resident status in the US - to register.
Monday was the deadline for men from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Sudan. January 10 is the deadline for men from Afghanistan, Lebanon, Eritrea, North Korea, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
News of the mass arrests came first in southern California, which is home to more than 600 000 Iranian exiles and their families.
An INS spokesperson said those arrested had violated immigration laws, overstayed visas or were wanted for crimes.
The programme was prompted by concern about the lack of records on tourists, students and other visitors to the US after the September 11 attacks.
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," Khan said. - Reuters
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
