US To Round Up All Muslim And Arab Asylum-Seekers

Independent (UK) ^ | 3-19-2003 | Andrew Gumbel

[blam]

US to round up all Muslim and Arab asylum-seekers

By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
19 March 2003

The United States has ordered the detention of all political asylum-seekers from a long list of Arab and Muslim countries, infuriating immigrant advocates who say it violates international human rights law.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the policy shift as part of its tightening of security in anticipation of a war with Iraq, codenamed Operation Liberty Shield. "Asylum applications from nations where al-Qa'ida, al-Qa'ida sympathisers and other terrorist groups are known to have operated will be detained for the duration of their processing period," the department said on Monday night. It described the initiative as temporary, "reasonable and prudent".

Department officials told reporters the order would affect nationals from more than 30 countries, including Iraq and – in contrast to previous government orders requiring immigrants to register with the authorities – such US allies as Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The measure was denounced by human rights groups as discriminatory and counter-productive. They argued that anyone who wished harm against the United States would not voluntarily expose themselves by applying for asylum. Targeting asylum-seekers, they said, was "irrational" and "ridiculous". In a country founded by immigrants, it carried unfortunate historical echoes of the mass internment of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Alison Parker, head of the refugee programme for Human Rights Watch, said any detention order that did not consider each applicant's case on its merits would be a violation of international law. "Our concern is that anyone who is detained should have an individualised hearing as to whether that detention is necessary, conducted by an impartial adjudicator. Such an assessment should not be applied across the board to an entire nationality," she said.

Asked whether the government had made provision for individual hearings, she added: "It sure doesn't sound like it."

Ms Parker said locking up asylum-seekers for security reasons would send the wrong message about the nature of people fleeing persecution, including Iraqis fleeing from Saddam Hussein. "It's a sweeping generalisation of who they are and a very unfortunate one ... They are not terrorists, they are not security risks. They should be protected."

Accusations of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim discrimination were heightened by the launch of a new police hunt for potential terror suspects across the United States that is focusing on mosques and Arab Americans, especially Iraqis.

[blam]

I haven't seen this reported anywhere else.

I suppose the ones that we are watching that do not show up as instructed can be arrested?

[oceanview]

is this what Larry King is talking about just now? He phrased it as a press release from Ashcroft about the immediate detainment (Bob Woodward called it a roundup) of thousands of Iraqi nationals in the US. He broke into his interview with Woodward with this story. Is this the same story?

[Sacajaweau]

I heard it on the news. If they show up at our door, they will be scrutinized prior to entry which could be up to a year.

Nothing illegal about it.

[teancumspirit]

There will be alot of c-stores and gas staions in so-cal and other places that may have an employee problem.

[StormEye]

"US to round up all Muslim and Arab asylum-seekers"

I hope this is true!

[itsahoot]

I heard it on the news. If they show up at our door, they will be scrutinized prior to entry

Ellis Island, was good enough for our ancestors.

[ladyinred]

I pray this is true, and if so, it is long overdue.
For the bleeding hearts, picture your loved one in the World Trade Center on Sept 11th at 8 am.

[Gurn]

Dad-gum right! Best news I've heard since 9/11.

[blam]

"Is this the same story?"

Don't know. Besides, I don't watch CNN.

[11B3]

Three words: World Trade Center. Got it?

[boris]

At last! Only a couple years late.

[Ukiapah Heep]

To Guantanimo with the lot of them.

[thoughtomator]

Wow thanks for telling me about this. I do a lot of asylum work and it's better I found out this way than the hard way! I hope this doesn't last too long - there are a lot of decent people who seek asylum here in the US to escape hellish conditions of brutal regimes or civil wars. Putting these people in jail indiscriminately will not make us any safer and will cost a lot of money for no benefit.

I would really like to see the specific list of countries that are affected. I'm sure all the Arab states and Pakistan/Indonesia are on the list, but there are a lot of borderline cases that could go either way.

[bayareablues]

Oh man, the whining is going to start big-time.

[Dialup Llama]

Many asylum seekers claim they were persecuted in their home countries based on the fact their home countries considered them terrorists and guess what... they were!

[thoughtomator]

But most weren't.

I think one of the essential elements to American character and success is the constant influx of new people and ideas. I do not ignore the dangers we face, but at the same time we must not hand our enemy a win - we cannot cede this very important element of our national identity, and it is not necessary to do so to properly secure ourselves.

[maranatha]

Doesn't it just make your skin crawl when our government decides to do something for our sake and "human rights" groups or the ten million other world organizations say we are breaking "International law"? Whose law? We'll make our own laws and they can just keep their mouths shut and tend to their own business whatever on earth it is.

[maranatha]

We are war.

[thoughtomator]

Yes, we are at war. That doesn't mean every action makes sense in that context. IMO you'd get a higher percentage of terrorists by rounding up Democrats than immigrants.

[maranatha]

Correction: We are AT war. They are just detaining them long enough to check them out to see if they really are who they say they are. A good move.