NYCLU Condemns Arrest And Detentions Under New INS Registration Program

The New York Civil Liberties Union today joined various New York City groups in condemning the federal government’s arrest and detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern and Muslim men and boys. These arrests and detentions were part of a new Justice Department program that mandates the fingerprinting and registration of all male visitors 16 years and older from certain countries.

The first wave of detentions and arrests occurred last week in conjunction with a December 16 deadline for men and boys from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, and Syria. According to media reports covering growing protests against the detentions, up to 700 Middle Eastern and Muslim men and boys were arrested in Southern California by federal immigration authorities after they voluntarily complied with a new program. It remains unclear how many others have been detained across the country, but reportedly a full one-quarter of all those who complied with the program in Los Angeles were arrested.

The next registration deadline is January 10, 2003, by which time men and boys older than 16 must register if they are from a dozen additional countries. Thousands of people in New York City are likely to be subject to the January 10 registration requirement.

NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman condemned the arrests and detentions. “The federal government is singling people out for possible arrest and detention solely because of their ethnicity and national origin. We are particularly concerned that the January 10 registration deadline will have a huge impact in New York City, with entire immigrant communities being terrorized by the prospect of punitive detention and selective deportation. This program is unfair and discriminatory.”