Thursday, 19 December, 2002, 05:34 GMT

Immigration officials in southern California have detained hundreds of Iranians and other Muslim men who turned up to register under residence laws brought in as part of the United States' anti-terror drive.

Muslim groups estimated that at least 500 men were detained in and around Los Angeles after they complied with an order to register by 16 December.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) is refusing to give numbers for the arrests but did say that detainees were being held for immigration violations or other offences.

The arrests sparked angry protests in the city by Iranian-Americans waving banners which read "What's next? Concentration camps?" and "Free our fathers, brothers, husbands and sons".

Under the new US immigration rules, male immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria who have not been naturalised were required to register by Monday.

Immigrants from other mainly Muslim states have been set later deadlines for registration.

Community groups said men had been arrested in LA, Orange County and San Diego.

According to the Reuters news agency, the number of detentions across the state could be as high as 1,000.

'We love this country'

California is home to about 600,000 ethnic Iranians living in exile since the Islamic Revolution.

One of the Iranian-American demonstrators who took to the streets of LA, Ali Bozorgmehr, told the French news agency AFP that his community was being unjustly targeted:

Ramona Ripston, executive director of the southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the arrests were reminiscent of the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War:

"I think it is shocking what is happening... We are getting a lot of telephone calls from people. We are hearing that people went down wanting to co-operate and then they were detained."

No figures

A representative of the INS, Francisco Arcaute, told Reuters that the Service would not be releasing any figures of people detained.

He said that those arrested had violated immigration laws, overstayed their visas or were wanted for crimes.

Islamic community leaders said many detainees had been living, working and paying taxes in the US for up to a decade and had families there.

"Terrorists most likely wouldn't come to the INS to register," said Sabiha Khan of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

"They are being treated as criminals and that really goes against American ideals of fairness, and justice and democracy."

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2002

Answers

He said that those arrested had violated immigration laws, overstayed their visas or were wanted for crimes.

If that's true, then I don't see any problem. It's not difficult to follow immigration laws. Don't do drugs, don't commit any other crimes, don't work if you don't have a green card, abide by the date on your tourist or student visa. All this is explained very clearly in your own language at the time you get your visa or green card. You are also required to sign various forms explaining same, copies of which you retain. Living in this country for a number of years means nothing if you haven't obeyed immigration law, as any immigrant well knows. No doubt those skirting the law thought they could get around it somehow. Not in this day and age, you can't.

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2002

"They are being treated as criminals and that really goes against American ideals of fairness, and justice and democracy."

"Hello??!!! McFly??!!!!!"

what an idiotic statement! If they are innocent of the charges they will be released. Somewhere over Afghanistan, maybe...

-- Anonymous, December 19, 2002