Muslim, Arab groups track those registering with INS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Trying to prevent mass arrests, several groups are tracking citizens of 13 mostly Middle Eastern countries as they register at INS offices to meet a Friday deadline.

The Muslim, Arab-American and civil liberties groups want to prevent a repeat of detentions that took place in Southern California last month when visitors from five other countries were required to register.

INS officials said about 400 men were detained for suspected violations of criminal or immigration laws. Most were released within three days.

By Friday, another 7,000 men from countries considered high risks for terrorist activity must check in under the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. Civil liberties advocates say the program is an inefficient way to find terrorists, and will only alienate a group that could help the government.

"What we're hoping is that we don't have what happened in L.A. happen here," said Heba Nimr, a lawyer for La Raza Centro Legal's INS Watch, who has been recording the names of men entering the Immigration and Naturalization Service building in San Francisco. "It helps us make sure folks don't get lost in the system. We want them to know we're watching."

Clipboard in hand, Nimr roamed up and down the line outside the INS building this week, pausing to ask men if they were there for the special registration program. Some nodded warily.

Nimr told the men she wanted to make sure they didn't get lost in the INS system. Some gave her their names and INS alien number, plus phone numbers of lawyers, relatives and friends. She asked them to check back with her when they left the building.

'The most peaceful person'

Zouvir Achour gave his name to Laura Farha, a volunteer working with Nimr.

"It's a good thing. At least someone is watching," said Achour, a Tunisian who lives in San Francisco.

While he thinks registration is "a normal process," the 28-year-old student said he also feels his privacy is being compromised by having to tell authorities where he lives and goes to school -- and to submit to being fingerprinted and photographed.

"I'm the most peaceful person on earth," he said.

Nimr and a handful of other, mostly Arab-American and South Asian U.S. citizens, have pledged to monitor the registrations in San Francisco all week. The Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles and chapters in at least 15 cities also were setting up monitoring efforts.

National groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee are generally advising men to register, but urging them to consult a lawyer before they go. Women are not required to register.

Friday's registration deadline applies to men 16 and older from the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Another 14,000 men from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have until Feb. 21 to register.

The program applies to temporary visitors, including businessmen and students. Those who fail to register could be deported.

The effort is separate from the detention of more than 900 people shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. The Justice Department says that only about 60 of those people remain in custody.

"We're doing what the American people want us to do," said Justice Department spokesman Jorge Martinez. "I don't think the American people would want known terrorists or wanted criminals running around the country attempting to harm the people."

But advocates have denounced the program. The arrests in Southern California prompted a lawsuit against the federal government and a protest that drew thousands.

"It's trying to find a needle in a haystack -- a very expensive, inefficient haystack," said Sarah Eltantawi, spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. "I don't think that the terrorists will go register."

Instead, she said, registrations will "alienate a community whose help we all need for our national security."

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On the Net

INS: www.ins.usdoj.gov