Posted on 11/15/2002 6:44:09 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen
Beginning today, several thousand men from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria in the United States must register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. They will be fingerprinted, photographed and questioned in an expansion of a federal program to track foreign students, tourists and businesspeople from certain Arab and Muslim nations.
The goal is to ensure that those who entered the country with visas are complying with the terms.
People who fail to register by Dec. 16 face deportation, a change that shocked Hani Al-Ikhwan, a 20-year-old Syrian student at Georgia Perimeter College in Clarkston.
"It's like I'm a criminal," he said Thursday. "It's not what I heard about America back in Syria --- that there's freedom, that you can do what you want and that there's no discrimination."
The requirement affects men who are 16 or older and who entered the United States with a nonimmigrant visa before Sept. 10 this year (men from many Arab and Muslim countries who came after that date were fingerprinted and photographed upon their arrival).
Authorities said "in light of the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001 . . . certain nonimmigrant aliens require closer monitoring when national security or law enforcement interests are raised." The State Department says Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria sponsor terrorism.
It granted 24,313 visas to citizens of those countries last year, mainly to tourists, students and businesspeople. It could not say how many went to men aged 16 or older.
Akeel Hanano, president of the Georgia chapter of American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said the measure amounts to "racial profiling by nationality." He asked how U.S. tourists and businesspeople would react if a foreign government wanted to fingerprint, photograph and interview them.
"I think American citizens would be outraged," he said, "and rightfully so."
Al-Ikhwan, the Syrian student, wondered why he has to register while his Bolivian roommate does not. Foreign students, he said, "came here to study. We didn't come here to do anything wrong."
Nationally, the Institute of International Education, which is based in New York City and tracks issues associated with foreign students in the United States, counted 3,518 students last year from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria. At least 225 were enrolled in the 34 schools in University System of Georgia.
The requirement does not apply to legal residents, refugees or people who have applied for asylum.
Jay Solomon, an Atlanta immigration attorney, said he worries that the restriction will cause some foreign students to bypass this country. He said the measures could steer foreign investors elsewhere, too.
"It will make the United States a less attractive place for people to do business," he said.
Hey! Wake-up! It wasn't a racially diverse group of American-born citizens who knocked down the World Trade Center Towers!
Tough sh##t, Mohammed. Go back to the hellhole you came from, and change things there in a serious way. You know, cause a revolution, overthrow your dictators, establish a representative Republic, like ours.
Then we'll consider letting you back into OUR country. If you're nice.
But, the USA will grant you an opportunity/priviledge/favor your country doesn't grant other citizens and minorities. ..... you may leave anytime you wish.
This American citizen is behind this 100%.
Sure thing...reduced risk of terror on homesoil will scare away potential foreign business...
I say BarCode and Chip the bastards until they are willing to join us in arms in routing out terrorists...Unless and until I hear a loud and clear message from Islamists...they can lump it or leave it...
Let's see now, how many Bolivians have been involved in terror attacks on U.S. interests? Hmmmm.....
Owl_Eagle
”Guns Before Butter.”
You're a guest, not a citizen. It's wartime. If you want to lay blame for the new requirements, look to your buddies Atta et al.
That's a legitimate question. I don't see any reason why they both shouldn't be required to register periodically until they either leave the country or become citizens.
While there are some rights that are basic to the human condition, there are also certain rights and privileges that are exclusive to citizens. IMO, registration (as long as it is not unduly frequent or difficult) is one of those things that falls into the gap -- it would be an outrage for the government to require it of citizens, but may be reasonably required of noncitizen residents (if only to insure that they haven't come in on a temporary visa and then dropped off the radar to become illegal aliens).
And this policy would have done nothing to uncover the Sept 11th terrorists because they were from Egypt and Saudi Arabia nor would it catch those from that haven for terrorists -- Pakistan!
Today our government is telling us that Bin Laden is planning a massive attack and the risk to America is great yet it has made no effort in 14 months to reduce this risk by removing illegal aliens and those on visas from Muslim countries. Despite overwhelming support from the citizenry to control the borders and deport all illegal aliens but especially those from Muslim countries, Congress and the Administration have stood fast in a bi-partisan refusal to deliver what the American people want for their own protection. Of course, during this time they have spared no expense to provide additional security for themselves.
If and when such a terrorist attack occurs and the perpetrators are in this country illegally or who are recent immigrants from Muslim countries who are here on visas (legally or not), or who have gained residency status or citizenship by fraud, then Americans would be justified in believing that our government will not protect us and that our ruling elite no longer serves the public interest but merely exists to further their own interests.
Are there others that are tiring of hearing these street-smart aliens claiming to have been hoodwinked by news they garnered from their old short-wave radio sets while huddled in some cave in the Old Country?
This is just like the smart people who think that they don't have to work when they say, "Wine, whine, whine, I've played by the rules, I thought if you kept your nose clean and got good grades, yada, yada, yada, you would be entitled to money, power, influence and happiness."
Yet no one seems to point out to them, "Look, you're a smart guy. When you were young, I can believe that you lived your life based on platitudes. But now that you've been around the block a few times, what's your excuse?"
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