If people of Middle Eastern descent haven't faced enough problems from our government for purposes of national security, another procedure is on the way. We remember the immigrants secretly detained by the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) after Sept 11th, and the scandal it caused. However, this new action is not getting any publicity whatsoever. I guess it's not "shocking" enough compared to the detainee scandal.

Last Friday, I found myself at Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS). I found one certain room packed with immigrants from Middle Eastern countries waiting to be called to the booth for special registration. All over the country, the INS is making male immigrants of 16 years old and older who are waiting for their green card report to the booth. There, their criminal record is scanned, they are fingerprinted and photographed. In addition, their passports are taken away for 3-4 months. They have to report a year later, and do the same thing year after year.

Why these certain people? Because "the typical profile of a terrorist is a Muslim man 16+", says Sara Saad El-Deim, 22, from the Arab-American Family Support Center, Inc. (AAFSC)

What is wrong with this picture? "It's absolutely ridiculous because they want people to come here. No one is gonna come here who does not have papers. Only law abiding people will show up," El-Deim says. If a person does not have their papers in order, they get deported.While I was waiting, one person was handcuffed and taken away. "They are trying to strike fear in law abiding, tax-paying Arabs."

Julie Dinnerstein, 34, a lawyer for one of the immigrants, said, "It is a joke and a waste of time. It takes resources away from valuable and serious efforts to protect our nation. The idea that a terrorist is going to walk into the INS and sit around all day is ludicrous. It's like putting out an announcement and asking anyone who's ever robbed a bank to go to a police precinct."

The countries on the list are Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Dinnerstein firmly believes that "these laws are outrageous, offensive, racist and go against the values of our Constitution and our people. As a country, we pride ourselves in fairness and yet watch silently as our neighbors are singled out and treated like criminals for the crime of being male over 15 and from a predominantly Muslim country. This is a disgrace that will be a blight in our history just like slavery and the internment of the Japanese."

This procedure has been going on since November of 2002. Every person waits in that crowded room for almost the whole day to be "approved". Some people are forced to stay up to 1 o'clock at night.

The INS is very poorly organized. "They have not advertised this new law properly. Most people who showed up found out through word of mouth," says Reem Abu Sabeeh (also from AAFSC), who's been volunteering there as a translator for the immigrants. "We went to Bayridge and told people to register. Nobody there knew about it. If they do not register, when they apply for residency, they will have a lot of problems," she adds.

The INS takes people's passports, leaving some without any form of identification. A 21-year-old student waiting to take his Graduate Record Exam (GRE), who asked to be left anonymous, said, "Now I won't have a passport which I need to take the exam. I have to speak to the investigator if he'd allow access to my passport. If not, there is a possibility I won't be able to take the test and will have to put off school for another year."

There is a possibility many of the papers might get lost. According to Sabeeh, "They lose papers all the time. All the passports they're taking, some will be lost probably."

Why is the major media not covering this? "Media's job right now is to portray America as a good country. Media is not being objective. Media already portrays Mid Easterners as evil, the audience would feel this measure is just because they've been brainwashed by the media," states El-Deim.

Do you still think America is a fair country? It might look like it, but if you peer in at things that are left unnoticed by the media, you see a totally different picture.

Contacts:

- For the most up-to-date info regarding Special Registration procedures, go to: www.ins.usdoj.gov

- The Arab-American Family Support Center, Inc. (Advocacy Organization for immigrants in New York State): 150 Court Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201-6244. tel: (718) 643-8000, fax: (718) 643-8167. Email: aafsc@aol.com