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BUENA PARK, Friday, October 20, 2002 - A thousand people gathered in Buena Park, California, to protest detentions and mistreatment of Middle Eastern men. A hush fell over the standing-room-only crowd at the Sequoia Convention Center in Buena Park, California, as speakers reported having been detained for days, some in chains, by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service after reporting for what they believed would be a simple registration process.

"I knew my papers were in order, and thought I should have nothing to fear," said Emad Takleh, a businessman from Claremont, Calif., who has lived in the United States for 18 years and is originally from Syria. "I entered a room and before the interviewer knew anything about my case, I was informed that I would be detained. My work authorization is in order -- it doesn't expire until October of 2003," he said.

Takleh says he was interrogated for several hours with an INS agent demanding, among other things, proof of his marriage. "It was performed Islamically," Takleh notes, explaining that as in most Islamic marriages, no papers were filed with state authorities -- a tradition with which the agent appeared entirely unfamiliar, according to Takleh. "I have three children and of course it is not the custom to have children without marriage in Islam," he noted.

Although Takleh's papers are currently in order, there was a time in the 1980s when he allowed his visa to lapse after completing college. Takleh claims that he applied to a lottery and was granted full legal status at that time, something reflected in his current documents and which, he says, the agent disregarded and then recorded his status as "illegal."

"She wouldn't listen to me," he says, "but just stated, 'You are illegal.'"

Detainee Was Handcuffed

Takleh says he was packed into a cell with at least 50 other people who he believes are all in the country legally. The group was handcuffed and moved from time to time, seemingly aimlessly. They were moved from the a detention center in Los Angeles to a facility in Lancaster at approximately 3 a.m. one morning.

Though Takleh was released after several days, he is still uncertain of his status, and his future.

"If this would have happened in Syria, I would have expected it," he said. "But to have it happen in the United States -- well it's just unbelievable to me."

Resident of 21 Years Detained A young woman named Zohor spoke emotionally to a friend after telling the crowd the story of the detention of her husband, Yasser Tair.

"He went to register as soon as he heard that he should," she said of her husband, originally from Syria. "He followed the law -- he went there, and then soon he called to say that he had been detained," she recalled through tears.

That was 10 days ago.

"They put him in jail, and he doesn't know why," she continued. "We still don't know why and they are treating him like a criminal."

Tair, a resident of the United States for the past 21 years, was described by friends at the gathering as "a very good human being, an honest and kind man...someone who you would trust with your life," said one man who had known Tair for several years.

"My husband sells real estate," Zohor said. "We came here to make a good life for our children," who were both born in the United States, she noted. "My husband is the only one in the family who works and I have no other relatives here. We don't know when he will come back to us..."

Zohor stated emphatically that her husband has "never been involved in politics, and has never committed a crime," then asked: "If his record wasn't clear and clean, then why would he have gone?"

Information, Collective Response Aim of Meeting

The event, called an "Emergency Townhall Meeting About New INS Registration Requirements" was organized by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Iranian, Asian and other concerned communities came together to voice concerns and form an action plan.

According to CAIR, under the new INS regulations, all male visitors age 16 and older from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria were ordered to register in person with the INS by Monday, December 16, 2002. Men from 13 other countries must register by January 10, and men from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan must register by February 21.

"From various reports we believe that there are between 1,000 and 2,500 men, mostly Muslims, who have been detained in Southern California due to these policies," said, Sabiha Khan, a spokesperson for CAIR. "We have contacted the INS and are not able to verify numbers, as they apparently are under a directive not to release numbers."

Due to the time of story filing, INS offices were closed and no agents were available for comment.     

Part 1 is by Leslie Baer and Patricia Florez for the Unity Network. For additional information or clarification, contact Leslie or Pat at unitynetwork@earthlink.net

A Unity Network Special Report - Part 2

Buena Park, Saturday, October 21, 2002

Mohammed Tabboa, a Syrian who lives with his wife and two children in Pasadena, went to the INS building in downtown Los Angeles early Monday morning to register under the new regulations. It wasn't until 11 p.m. on Thursday before he was released, and from Lancaster.

Tabboa's journey through INS is a similar to the more than 500 men and boys who were detained that same day. "I'm here on a visa," Tabboa said. "I've had a case with the INS dating from 1989, so for 14 years I've been in the U.S., working and paying taxes. My children are Americans. If the INS asks to see me, I come. What I don't understand is why they detained me?"

At an "Emergency Townhall Meeting" in Buena Park, California, Friday night Tabboa talked with attendees about his ordeal. Around 4 p.m. on Monday Tabboa finally had his interview with an INS agent. "They asked me how I entered the U.S., who my parents and siblings are, and where they live today," Tabboa said. "Then they sent me to ‘processing' where they took my picture, fingerprints, and told me to empty all of my personal belongings into a bag."

Tabboa was taken to the "tanks" in the basement of the building. Fifty to 80 men and boys were placed in six rooms with two small toilets and washbowls. "Some of the detainees had trouble breathing. There was only a little space under the door to let in fresh air," Tabboa added. "We were so tight in the rooms that we didn't even have room for our prayers."

The number of men and boys still detained is currently unknown. Yasser Tair, a U.S. resident for 21 years, is one of those still being detained but is expected to be released soon on bail. Tair, a Syrian, is the husband of Zohor and the father of three.

"He went to register as soon as he heard that he should," Zohor said of her husband, originally from Syria. "He followed the law -- he went there, and then soon he called to say that he had been detained," she recalled through tears.

That was 11 days ago.

"My husband sells real estate," Zohor said. "We came here to make a good life for our children," who were both born in the United States, she noted.

Members of the Islamic Center of Claremont, where Tair was the accountant described him as a quiet and gentle man. "He's the Arab version of Mr. Roger's," said Mabrookah Al-Henaid, a U.S. citizen and undergraduate at Stanford University and member of the mosque in Claremont. "If this can happen to him, it can happen to anyone."

Information, Collective Response Aim of Meeting in Buena Park, California.

The event, called an "Emergency Townhall Meeting About New INS Registration Requirements" was organized by CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Iranian, Asian and other concerned communities came together to voice concerns and form an action plan. Around 1,000 people were in attendance.

According to CAIR, under the new INS regulations, all male visitors age 16 and older from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria were ordered to register in person with the INS by Monday, December 16, 2002. Men from 13 other countries must register by January 10, and men from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan must register by February 21.

"From various reports we believe that there are between 1,000 and 2,500 men, mostly Muslims, who have been detained in Southern California due to these policies," said, Sabiha Khan, a spokesperson for CAIR. "We have contacted the INS and are not able to verify numbers, as they apparently are under a directive not to release numbers."

Speaking at the gathering were leaders from Muslim, Arab, South Asian, Iranian and Asian communities as well as lawyers for the detainees and representatives from civil rights organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union. Speakers urged attendees to meet with lawyers in attendance and national groups dealing with detentions, to update themselves on INS rules, to voice their views about the new INS rules and to participate in formulating a collective response.

Media in attendance included CNN, KTTV Channel 11, the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register and Telemundo.

Co-sponsors of the event with CAIR were the ACLU, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance (OCAPICA), the Iranian American Lawyers Guild, the National Lawyers Guild, the South Asian Network (SAN) and the Coalition of Women from Asia and the Middle East (CWAME).

For information about future events planned and how you may become involved, contact the CAIR Southern California office at (714) 776-1847.

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