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Special Registration System Statement Statement of Adam Schwartz ACLU of Illinois RE: Special Registration System January 10, 2003 Good afternoon. My name is Adam Schwartz, staff counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. It is my pleasure and privilege to appear today on behalf of the ACLU of Illinois, its more than 15,000 members from across the State of Illinois and the more than 5,200 members in the City of Chicago. The ACLU stands proudly with those assembled here to voice strong objection to the federal government�s National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, a program based upon a discriminatory and ineffective ethnic and national profile. Under this ill-conceived program, men from 18 Muslim nations � as well as North Korea and Eritrea � must report and register in person with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. When they register, INS officials photograph and fingerprint these individuals, and interrogate them under oath. This system targets people not because of any individualized suspicion, but solely because of their nationality. This kind of discriminatory law enforcement is immoral and stands in stark contrast to basic American values of fairness and equality. It also undermines the ability of law enforcement to protect our security. Treating groups of persons as potential criminals based on immutable factors only distracts our law enforcement officials from focusing on persons who truly are dangerous. Moreover, the special registration program drives a wedge of distrust between federal law enforcement agencies and the important Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities in our nation. The heavy-handed implementation of the special registration program has made a bad situation even worse. When the first group of persons covered by the program voluntarily appeared to register at INS offices in Los Angeles, hundreds were detained and prevented from communicating with family members. The government�s assertion that these people were flight risks is ludicrous � after all, they voluntarily appeared to register. We join with our friends today in calling upon the Department of Justice and the INS to end this discriminatory program, and to begin the difficult process of building trust, cooperation and communication with the Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities in the Chicago area and across the nation. Thank you. |
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