Is This a Way to Ease Muslim Fears?

L O S  A N G E L E S, Dec. 24, 2002 -- Shawn Eliaspoor says he will never look at America the same way.

"I thought this was the place of freedom — a place where I could come and become someone. But the last couple of days, my mind has really changed about the United States," said Eliaspoor, who was 6 when his family moved to Southern California from Iran.

Eliaspoor's changed outlook follows his detention by Immigration and Naturalization Service officials in Los Angeles last week. It's an attitude that surprises those who view Eliaspoor as a typical 18-year-old American.

"He's really just a white boy," said sister Shadi Eliaspoor. "He used to play football when he was little and now he likes basketball and video games. He doesn't even know how to speak Farsi."

Shawn Eliaspoor is not alone. Hal Kay, 22, was born in Iran, but is a Canadian citizen who has lived in the United States since age 16. Also held last week by the INS, he also feels betrayed by the government of the country he considers home.

"I really didn't know the INS was this backward. It felt like in America there are situations where it's practically like it is in Iran," Kay said.

Sixteen-year-old Hossein Ahmadi is an Iranian-born British citizen who lives with his mother in Encino, Calif. Ahmadi said he was working on his literature homework while waiting to speak to an immigration official but 30 minutes later he was led away in handcuffs as his 7-month pregnant mother watched.

"They sat me in a tank with three other boys and I was the only INS case," said Ahmadi. "I asked them what they were doing in there. One of them had done a burglary and one of them had stabbed someone. Just being among them, I felt like a criminal."

Feelings of Betrayal

Like hundreds of other Middle Eastern males, Eliaspoor, Kay and Ahmadi lined up at a federal building in Los Angeles to register voluntarily for a new INS database to track foreigners who enter and leave the country on tourist, business and student visas. Dec. 16 was the deadline for male visa holders ages 16 and older from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria.

Those who showed up to register on the deadline day expected to be released within a few hours. Instead, according to INS figures, they were among 400 men arrested. Most of them were born in Iran.

"I thought I was doing something good for myself," said Eliaspoor. "Something for the country. But they tricked me."

The arrests came as a shock to the volunteers. Although many had expired visas, they did not believe that they would be detained because of their pending applications for permanent residency.

"To me anyone who went to register were the good guys," said Ahmadi. "No terrorist is going to come down and say 'I want to register.' It's only the people who follow the law and love this country."

Omar Ricci, chairman of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, believes that the government is sending mixed messages to immigrants.

"The government can't say people who are pending their green card don't need to have their green cards extended then be detained after the fact," Ricci said.

‘Treated Us Like Animals’

Many who were taken into custody are angry over the treatment they received. This resentment comes at a time when Washington is trying to improve its image to Muslims worldwide.

"This government could have well made itself more enemies," said immigration lawyer Ramin Ghashghaei.

Eliaspoor and Kay were in cells with more than 50 other men. They complained of cold air blasting through vents and no blankets. The men also said that they had to sleep on metal benches or on the concrete floor and were given little drink or food.

"There was absolutely no water," said Kay. "Every meal was the same. One poor quality egg, six pieces of broccoli and six pieces of carrots."

"There were people lying on the floor next to toilets," said Eliaspoor. "They treated us like animals, like I wasn't a human being. They put handcuffs on my friend's dad's feet, made him get naked and hosed him down."

The INS has denied any mistreatment of the detainees. Immigration officials also claim that the visa holders were given over a month to register, but instead waited until Monday's deadline. INS officials maintain that the arrests were made because the INS needed more time for background checks.

But Muslim leaders say the government did not publicize the registration enough and that people did not learn of the voluntary registration until the last minute.

Outside the federal building, mothers clutching INS paperwork and the photos of their children cried out in English and Farsi for help. Other family members complained of the lack of information about their loved ones and of the confusion at the INS' seventh floor office.

"It was amazing," said Gissoo Mohajeri, Ahmadi's mother. "I had a lot of problems with the officers in immigration. The information was weak or they didn't want to give it to me. One time they didn't know where my son was."

Call to Washington

The INS flap sparked a series of protests, including a demonstration Sunday in San Diego where 25 Iranian males were detained.

The arrests were also the headlining topic at a convention last weekend in Long Beach where more than 1,000 Muslims gathered to discuss civil rights violations. At the conference, the Muslim Public Affairs Council asked the INS to terminate the registration proceedings and called on Washington to include American Muslims in creating national security policies.

"You can't just take a community here in the United States and scapegoat them," said Ricci. "Bring American Muslims to the table. Let's work hand in hand."

Some immigration lawyers and Muslim leaders believe that the ensuing resentment could have an effect over future registrations. Two more deadlines are pending. On Jan. 10, it is for more than 7,000 men from Afghanistan, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Males with visas from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are expected to register by Feb. 21.

Ricci believes that immigrant Muslims will comply with the deadlines. However, some of those who did come forward last week tell a different story.

"Last time I gave my son to jail with my own hands," said Mohajeri. "It is important to me to follow the rules, but if they ask me again, I don't know what I am going to do. I just don't know."