Last Updated 1/9/03 at 10pm. Big update in progress.
The Situation How You Can Help Frequently Asked Questions Organizations
January 6-10, 2003 Protest Footage San Francisco Upstate NY Tucson Boston Evanston
Footage from the December 23, 2002 Protest in San Francisco
Many of these answers to these questions have been lifted straight from the summary of the situation and this article written by Laila Weir and Joe Rogers: More Facts and Details About the INS Roundups
Here are some links to the INS website to get the official story:
(Text version of November 22 notice from the INS)
(Text version of the December 18 notice from the INS)
pardon these rough notes: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/index.htm INS Information on Special Registration http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/Call_In_Group3.pdf Group 3 - just added to special registration http://www.ins.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/statements/ReminderState.htm INS Reminds Certain Temporary Foreign Visitors of Eighteen Countries of Registration Requirement http://www.ins.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/statements/ReminderState.htm Note from U.S. Department of Justice - Immigration and Naturalization Service "INS Reminds Certain Temporary Foreign Visitors of Eighteen Countries of Registration Requirement" http://www.ins.gov/graphics/lawenfor/specialreg/CALL_IN_2.pdf Group 2 All of INS will be incorporated into this new Department. Immigration enforcement functions will be part of the Border and Transportation Security Directorate (http://www.ins.gov/graphics/Title_IV.pdf), and immigration services will be housed in the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (http://www.ins.gov/graphics/Title_IV-E.pdf)(this link doesn't work anymore), which will report directly to the Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security. Detention Facilities link http://www.ins.gov/graphics/fieldoffices/detention/INSDetention.htm
We are protesting the INS "Special Registration" and detention of our Arab & Muslim brothers and sisters.
We must protest these events that have been all too reminiscent of the World War II era which led to the historically unjust incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans whose only crime was their ancestry.
We are calling on concerned citizens and Organizations, to let the INS and our Government know we are opposed to this unjust, immoral act of registrations, detentions and round-ups of our friends, neighbors, classmates, professors, brothers & sisters.
From January 6th - 10th people will be at the INS offices in San Francisco every day of the week to declare opposition to this special registration program with their presence at the INS offices in San Francisco.
From January 6-10, 2003, people will be at the INS offices, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm EVERY DAY. Spread the word about the daily protests. Please call your friends, family, co-workers and members of the press and tell them why itıs important to stop these arbitrary detentions and scapegoating.
Call the National Lawyers Guild Hotline at 415-285-1041. This hotline is for people affected by special registration or other 9/11 related immigration problems, or who are detained, searched or approached for questioning by FBI or other law enforcement agencies.
(415-285-1055 is the NLG number for general information, etc.)
You can also try the NLG's "Know Your Rights" Website and the website for the NLG's National Immigration Project.
There sure should be -- and now there is.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), the Alliance of Iranian Americans (AIA), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), and the National Council of Pakistani Americans (NCPA) filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California against John Ashcroft; Attorney General of the United States, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
The essence of the lawsuit is that on Dec. 16-18, the INS unlawfully arrested large numbers of people, especially in Los Angeles, as they came forward to voluntarily comply with new "special registration" requirements. The groups are seeking an injunction before the next registration deadline to avoid a repetition of last week's mass arrests. Six individuals detained as a result of the new INS policy of special registrations are co-plaintiffs, and represent a broader group of victims in this class action suit.
