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March 9, 2003
ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny: Now more than ever!
I thought it was outrageous that three INS officials,
accompanied by two local law enforcement officers, would show up to arrest
my husband on FEBRUARY 5, a peaceful and sunny Tennessee morning as
he was framing one of his paintings. I thought it was a show of force meant
to intimidate on purpose and for political effect. I thought it looked like
"overkill" and was utterly unnecessary, given the smallest of
minor infractions of which he was allegedly guilty - a clerical error at
most!
Now this?
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120 Armed FBI Agents Arrest Saudi Student At U Idaho
SEVIS 3-8-3
The following letter was forwarded to SEVIS, and is chilling
testimony to the campaign of fear and intimidation on university campuses.
Information shared by universities through the SEVIS tracking system enable
the INS, FBI and CIA to carry out such crimes. Send copies of this letter to
your International Student Services, and your administration! Put it in your
campus newspaper! This raid conveniently happened in a small town where it
is difficult to build a strong movement in support of immigrants and
international students. We'll keep you posted.
From Prof. Elizabeth Brandt University of Idaho 3-8-3
Well, yesterday was an exciting day in my small town. The
FBI flew in 120 agents, fully-armed in riot gear, on two C-17 military
aircraft (I think -- they were BIG planes) to Moscow Idaho (population
17,000 +/-) to arrest one Saudi graduate student for visa fraud. The raid
went down in University of Idaho student housing at 4:30 a.m. in the
morning, terrorizing not only the suspect's family (he lived in student
housing with his wife and three elementary school age children) but also the
families of neighboring students who were awakened by the shouting and
lights and were required to remain in their homes until after 8:30 a.m.
At least 20 other students who had the misfortune to either
know the suspect or to have some minor immigration irregularities were also
subjected to substantial, surprise interrogations (4+ hours) although none
were detained or arrested yesterday. Now, however, a witch hunt for
additional unamed suspects who supposedly helped the guy who was arrested is
on.
The INS and FBI are working together using gestapo tactics
to question the students -- threatening their immigration status (and hence
their education) if they don't answer questions which are really aimed at
the criminal investigation. They have also threatened their partners and
spouses with perjury charges if they don't talk.
I spent yesterday working with our immigration clinic
director and local criminal defense attorneys to organize legal
representation for the students who are being swept into the hunt for co-conspiritors.
We have reached out to our entire area (40 -mile radius) to find enough
attorneys. Now I'm working on getting resources and support to them. The
Saudi government is providing financial support.
Reading about this stuff is one thing. Having it in your
backyard is another. The international students at the University of Idaho
are terrorized and scared.
Liz Brandt Elizabeth Barker Brandt Professor University of
Idaho College of Law
http://lists.linefeed.org/pipermail/stop-sevis/2003-March/000080.html
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