In the name of fighting terrorism, INS terrorizes the Iranian American community. First asking them to register, INS handcuffs and jails any Iranian-Americans who comply with the law and show up to give their finger prints and address. For years Iranian American media and social cultural organization have been urging Iranian immigrants living in the USA to trust the US government and get involved in social and political activities, and to be part of the society and appreciate the democracy they didn't have in Iran. Now, this move by the INS ruined all the efforts of these organizations, and built mistrust among Iranians and US government. I usually receive the latest reports and regulations from INS for immigrants living in this country to follow , and in order for the Iranian-American community to be informed, I publish these new rules and requirements. The last news published in "Pezhvak of Persia" the monthly publication for Iranian-Americans, was about "Guidelines on new INS registration requirements". According to this new law, INS requires male visitors to the United States who are 16 years or older from Libya, Sudan, Syria, Iraq and Iran to appear before, register with, and provide requested information to the INS. Failure to register before the deadline will make you eligible for deportation. Thousand of Iranians obeyed this new law and went to INS offices, not thinking that would cause them to be handcuffed, arrested, and sent to prison. When I received hundreds of e-mails and phone calls from the families of those innocent people detained by the INS, I was shocked and very upset that indirectly me and other Iranian American media and organizations helped our fellow Iranians to end up in prison. Let me share some of the news I receive from different people about this matter: Mr. Ally Bolour an attorney in L.A. wrote me: Hello Mr. Taheri, I will give you instances of what I saw today. 1. I saw three elderly men (presuming to be Iranian), in the elevator, facing the wall and down, with hands cuffed in the back with two immigration officers on their sides, with me and 2-3 Latinos in there...while the INS officers were singing "Its a small world..." and "I'm singing in the rain..."..... 2. I was talking to a Jewish Iranian family whose husband/father was being detained .... the mother/wife couldn't even speak fluent Farsi...she was speaking to me in broken Farsi and her daughter in Hebrew, .... she was afraid that her husband was going to be deported back to Iran... 3. I saw the INS run out of metal handcuffs ...they started using plastic ones... 4. I saw many people, mostly Iranians being taken into custody.....with a definite multiple night stays in INS detention....at various locations...in San Pedro ... Lancaster... etc. 5. I saw women and children crying...It hasn't been a pleasant day...I hope that we all mobilize on Monday and the days after... in order to inform the public of what is happening at the INS. Ally Bolour Law Offices of Ally Bolour A Moving Account. This man's email, recited below without any changes, was received today (Dec. 19, 02). It is eloquent and moving, in its own ways. Nothing was changed in this email, not event the typos and grammar mistakes, which were probably committed due to the writer's conditions and the hurt he has suffered. "I've been witness of fifty plus arrest on Monday December 16th, 2002 between the hours of 5:10 PM till 9:30 PM at Santa Ana INS office. Among the people who had been interviewed by the INS officers, I had seen only three people to walk out with the happy faces. The reset were hand cuffed and removed from the building with an INS officer escort. Today, Tuesday December 17th, 2002 I went to visit a family member who has been booked in Santa Ana Jail since Monday December 16th, 2002 on a permitted visiting hours after going through proper paper works and waited to receive a visiting schedule. I found out that Male detainees who has been booked their since yesterday are not in a good emotional status. They were feared of not knowing what would happen to them, if they would get the option of being bailed out by some one or if they would be sent to other detention centers due to over booking of these facilities. Every two, detainees are booked on a close door rooms with a double stacked up wall mounted beds. Since Last Night, till 2:00 PM this afternoon they just visited their cell once this morning around 11:00 AM and served each detainees a disposable tray with two slices of bread and a boiled egg. Which the one I spoke with mentioned due to a rotten smell of the eggs few of them got nauseous and trough up. No drinking water has been given to them since 2:00 PM. The place is cold and they only have their inmate overall and their bed's cover sheet and perhaps a small blanket. Since I was one the very last people being in there Monday night to wait for my family member to get interviewed, I had a chance to talk to both the immigration officer whom interviewed the current detainees and the escort officer of INS. Also, I talked to few of Santa Ana Jail front desk officer during my stay at lobby this morning. I am ready to do anything in my power to help organizations to get as much as information they need in order to get this out to public and make everyone aware of the situation. Previously, I've been told that even if they have been arrested by INS they would keep them in a big room and in their own attire. But unfortunately when I visited my family member this morning I was in a state of shock seeing him in an inmate overall with the rest of them with a tag in their hand as a detainee. Not to mention that there was an Iranian fellow in there with his hands still being hand cuffed. For some reason they are not feeding them well, and with the minimum FDA requirement of what it called "a meal portion". Let me know if I can be of any help. With my best regards, " [name withheld until later permission] The worst of all is the news that I received a news from one of the popular web site (www.iran-emrooz.de) that two elderly Iranian men died because of heart attacks, one in prison and the other one enroute to prison. This is very sad and shocking to me and our community. The majority of Iranians living in the US are here because of the lack of democracy and basic human rights in Iran, but they cannot even find refuge in the country that claims to be fighting for "preserving democracy and human rights." Even in the USA their basic rights are being violated and are being terrorized in the name of fighting terrorism. A little hypocritical, is it not? Real terrorists or potential terrorists would not voluntarily show up for fingerprinting and taking pictures. The people that show up are the Iranians living in US for many years now, working hard and paying their taxes to be a member of this society like any other immigrant or native living in this country. Fighting terrorists does not mean harassing innocent helpless immigrants that run away from the terrorism in their own countries. Roots of terrorism are poverty, injustice and double standards. You cannot fight terrorism while calling an accused war criminal like Ariel Sharon "a man of the peace," or naming General Musharraf, the founder and supporter of the Taliban, "a democrat." The Bush administration, and it's agencies, need to re-evaluate their policies. The direction they are going is not doing any good for fighting terrorism and unfortunately it is causing more disappointment in United States. Shahbaz Taheri Chief Editor of Pezhvak of Persia Latest news that was e-mailed to me by Ms. Banafsheh Akhlaghi Attorney at law: Good day, allow me to outline the events: 1) On the last day of Registration Monday the 16th, a number of Iranians were detained. The number was about 10-12. 2) On the Wednesday the 18th they were served with the Notice to Appear before the court, without bond being granted to any of these individuals. 3) On Wednesday the 18th some 9-10 of these men were transported by bus from S.F. INS detention to Oakland Detention Facility then flown to Arizona, then to Chicago, then back to Arizona, then to Bakersfield, and finally made their way to San Diego in the wee hours of this morning, Friday the 20th. 4) I have been in communication with San Diego and the detention center "CCA Facility" hasn't processed these men, as of yet, but have them housed there. I have spoken to the Immigration Court and they have said that these individuals are not in their database anywhere in the USA. 5) The problem is that we need to request for bonds for these men and the courts are not certain who will have jurisdiction to hear their bond requests. 6) If it is San Diego then the men will not be able to have their bond hearings set until after the 9th of January due to the holiday season, the fact the 2 of the 3 Judges are out on during the holiday, and the calendar being highly booked. 7) These men will have to continue being detained in very inhuman conditions until their hearing date is set. A total of one month and one week in custody. 8) Additionally, there are some 5-6 other Iranian being held in San Diego who went in to register on Monday and have had their bond hearings set for the 8th of Jan. 2003. 9) There are also several more Iranians in custody in Yuba County and one has been in custody since the 5th of December. 10) I have many of these who are clients of mine. Thank you very much, Banafsheh Banafsheh Akhlaghi Akhlaghi & Associates Ph. 415-522-5200 Fx. 415-522-5201 444 De Haro Street, Suite 205 San Francisco CA, 94107