Registration for Arabs draws fire

As a third deadline approaches for the program - men from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have to register by Feb. 21 - some who have registered complain that the process, though well-intended, is alienating innocent foreign-born people.

"I lived here as a good citizen - paying taxes for seven years - and where did it get me but suspicion, discrimination, racist profiling, and a week in jail for nothing?" says Iranian-born Bijan Perazdeh, who works for the state transportation authority, one block away from the INS.

Like scores of others, Mr. Perazdeh was detained for five days for an immigration irregularity - overstaying his current visa while the INS processed paperwork for a new one. He was not held, as it appeared to some, because he was a potential terrorist.

"It is amazing to us how different the US has become," says Babak Sotoodeh, president of the Alliance of Iranian Americans. "What do we tell our children? That this is the country of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Martin Luther King run by just laws, or of Joseph McCarthy and irrational fear?"

The INS admits that the process has been cumbersome and uncomfortable for many registrants. But it also says the program has proved to be invaluable to national security. Already, NSEERS has netted 330 individuals who fall into categories from felons to terrorists - including known Al Qaeda operatives - as well as those with past immigrant violations. Of nearly 25,000 registrants nationwide, 1,100 have been found "out of status" for various reasons.

Many observers say one of the reasons the program has caused such confusion and animosity is that there have been - up to now - no uniform guidelines from federal authorities on how to proceed. There is also widespread opinion that the INS is understaffed and unable to process immigrants quickly.

The Department of Justice says it's addressing the complaints. "The next deadline will be much smoother and more efficient," says Jorge Martinez, spokesman for the US Department of Justice. "We have stepped up resources, clarified guidelines for INS agents, and are trying to reach out to these communities in more compassionate ways."

Still, Mr. Martinez says, up until now most registrants have had few problems. "They fill out the forms, have interviews lasting about 15 minutes, and are free to go."

Outside the INS building, SAN monitors contest that assertion. "There are times when we get 15 people signing in and only half that come out," says Raj Cheema (no relation to Saeed Cheem), a spokesman for SAN.

Such varied accounts are confusing to Saeed Cheema, who says he will attend a free seminar by local attorneys before proceeding. "Many of my compatriots think this is not a good idea, but I think it is good," says Cheema. "We don't want to hide. We want to clear ourselves before the government so they know we are good people."

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