US-based body slams US tracking of Iraqi americans
Iraq-USA, Politics, 11/22/2002

The Arab Anti-Discrimination Council (ADC) has slammed the tracking of Iraqi-American nationals for security reasons.

"In the past few days, several media reports have discussed a possible plan by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to monitor and interview Iraqi-Americans in an effort to identify potential threats to national security," ADC said.

According to media reports, this plan may involve tracking thousands of Iraqi citizens and Iraqi-Americans. These reports claim that the DOJ plans to begin voluntary interviews of Iraqi members of the Arab-American community asking them to report suspicious activity related to Iraq.

The ADC said it has received multiple inquiries from Iraqi-American organizations and individuals concerned with the potential use of national origin and/or ethnicity as the sole reason for questioning individuals as potential suspects.

If correct, this proposed plan would ethnically profile thousands of individuals, including American citizens, which smacks of guilt by association and the incrimination of an entire ethnic population, ADC added. ADC emphasized to members of the Iraqi-American community and the Iraqi-immigrant community that equal protection and due process rights are afforded to everyone, including non-citizens, in the United States.

ADC would advise concerned persons contacted by law enforcement authorities of the right not to answer questions without the presence of an attorney, the absolute discretion whether to submit to any voluntary interview, the absolute discretion in selecting the date, time, and location of any voluntary interview as well as who may attend the interview and what questions to answer during such a voluntary interview.

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