Threatened Communities
- Noncitizens
- Building Bridges with Arab and Muslim Community Members
- CLEAR Act
- Detention Centers: Is there a detention center near you?
- Guantanamo Bay abuses
- Citizens Who Dissent
- What you can do
- Links
Congress has paid the most attention to sections of the Patriot Act that raise their constituents' concerns, and so far most of these have related to First and Fourth Amendment rights. Few legislators have proposed bills to protect the rights of noncitizens, especially those from primarily Arab and Muslim countries, who have been hurt the most since September 11, 2001, and who have no representation in Congress. For example:
- Thousands of men have been detained for months without charges or access to counsel, and many have been mistreated, according to the Justice Department's Inspector General,
- Iraqi-Americans and Iraqi students were questioned about their loyalty to the U.S. by FBI agents during the months leading up to the war in Iraq, and
- Nearly 85,000 men from North Korea and 24 Muslim countries have been required to voluntarily report to INS facilities for NSEERS "special registration" on an annual basis.
It is no surprise that programs and practices that rely on racial and ethnic profiling have been ineffective at catching terrorists. "Special registration" has been an especially expensive, embarrassing failure, dependent upon terrorists dutifully reporting to INS offices for fingerprinting, photographing, and questioning about their immigration status. On Monday, December 1, 2003, the Bush administration announced it was ending the controversial program and replacing it with US-VISIT, which will collect identifying information from all incoming foreign travelers and check it against a terror watch list. For more information, see this article.
When you hear the claim that "no one has been harmed" by antiterrorism legislation, correct the misperception. Contact a local mosque to find out what has happened to members and what the community can do to help, such as attend an immigration hearing.
Building Bridges with Arab and Muslim Community Members
CLEAR Act Unfairly Targets Immigrants
Rep. Charlie Norwood (GA) introduced the CLEAR Act. If passed, this bill would withhold funds from state and local law enforcement agencies that do not agree to enforce immigration laws. It would reward those state and local police agencies that do help round up illegal immigrants a share of fines and forfeited property and financial assistance for equipment, technology and facilities to incarcerate detainees as well as personal and agency immunity for any claim arising out of the enforcement of immigration law. The CLEAR Act would undermine community policing, and prevent immigrants from coming forward to report crime. For an excellent analysis of the introduced bill and what you can do, go to the National Immigration Forum's website.
Read Maher Arar's Statement about being deported to Syria and tortured.
Is there a detention center near you?
If you live near a detention center (or even if you don't), consider ways to make the plight of the detainees and their families more widely known and what you can do to help them gain fair treatment.
International Committee of the Red Cross' Report
Inspector General's Report on the Implementation of the USA Patriot Act
It was revealed that the FBI has been collecting information on antiwar demonstrators. Its October 15 memo asks local law enforcement to report activities they consider "suspicious" to the FBI's counterterrorism units. The FBI's listing of what constitutes "suspicious" shows how subjective that word can be: rehearsing for demonstrations, raising money via the Internet, and acquiring gas masks in case tear gas is used. Police in some cities may consider the mere act of demonstrating against a war to be suspicious. Clearly the announcement that "the FBI is watching" is meant to discourage dissent, especially from noncitizens and the whole families, including families of the military, who have been participating in the demonstrations against the Iraq War.
This Administration has used fear to increase its power. We must not let them use fear to silence dissent. Assure your community members of their First Amendment right to free speech and to petition the government for redress of grievances.
For more analysis, read the Friends Committee on National Legislation's article, Government Surveillance Hits Home.
- If you are questioned by the FBI, be prepared by knowing your rights.
- If you are a dissenter, consider turning yourself in to the FBI. Since they are already collecting information about demonstrators, make it easier for them and turn this policy on its head. Download these forms (Word) (PDF) to distribute at your next rally and ask people to fill them out.
- Support detainees by educating your commuity about their unfair detentions. If there is a detention center near you, consider holding a rally in support of the detainees.
- View strategies for people dealing with local detention centers in their communities--from the New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee.
- Oppose legislation such as the CLEAR Act that unfairly targets immigrant communities.
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage.
American Immigration Law Foundation is dedicated to increasing public understanding of immigration law and policy and the value of immigration to American society; to promoting public service and excellence in the practice of immigration law; and to advancing fundamental fairness and due process under the law for immigrants.
American Immigration Lawyers Association is an association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance its members' professional development.
American Muslim
Voice educates and mobilizes Muslims in America to stand up
to protect their liberties and constitutional rights, particularly
related to effects of the USA Patriot Act, detentions under Secret
Evidence Act, arbitrary detentions by the FBI and INS Special Registration.
Arab-American
Institute is committed to the civic and political empowerment
of Americans of Arab descent. AAI provides policy, research and public
affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.
Blue Triangle
Network is dedicated to mobilizing the broadest
number of people to challenge and oppose repressive policies against
Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians since 9-11.
Council on American
Islamic Relations is dedicated to presenting an Islamic
perspective on issues of importance to the American public and seek
to empower the Muslim community in America through political and social
activism.
Justice for New Americans
is dedicated to eliminating the biases that exist in this
country, based on an erroneous perception of "perpetual foreigners,"
through grass roots education and public advocacy.
Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation is a pioneering Islamic organization, an Islamic revival, and reform movement that uplifts the individual, the family, and the society.
Muslim Civil Rights Center was formed in 1998 to develop a concerted and collective voice of resistance against discriminatory actions projected against Muslims in the United States.
Muslim Public Affairs Council is dedicated to monitoring and lobbying against any other legislation that will affect the civil liberties we all enjoy as Americans.
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC) works to advance the human and civil rights of Asian Americans through advocacy, public policy, public education, and litigation.
National Immigration Forum advocates and builds public support for public policies that welcome immigrants and refugees and that are fair and supportive to newcomers in our country.
National Lawyers Guild, National Immigration Project, a network of immigration lawyers, law students, jailhouse lawyers, and legal workers who work to end unlawful immigration practices, to recognize the contributions of immigrants in this country, to promote fair immigration practices, and to expand the civil and human rights of all immigrants, regardless of their status in the United States.
New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee works to end the US Government's illegal detention without charge of immigrants, American citizens, and all others; launched the Detention Hotline, which is staffed by volunteers to arrange to place callers in contact with lawyers who can help them, and relay messages to family members if necessary.
New York State Defenders Association Immigrant Defense Project provides immigration law backup support and counseling to New York defense lawyers and others who represent or assist immigrants in criminal justice and immigration systems, as well as to immigrants themselves.
Save Our Civil Liberties, the website of a campaign launched following the November meetings of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) where demonstrators and journalists were denied civil liberties, arrested, and physically assaulted.
Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Taskforce (SMART) educates the Sikh American community about its civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights; other fundamental freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and work to protect and promote these rights.