Minute on Detention of Muslim and South Asian Immigrants

Since September 11, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the FBI have seized and detained large numbers of immigrants, primarily from Arabic and South Asian countries. According to a recent (March 13, 2002) report by Amnesty International, many are held in solitary confinement, in harsh conditions, without access to family members or lawyers. In some cases, the detainees are being held on charges of minor immigration violations; in many others, they are not informed of any charges against them. Despite legal challenges, the INS has refused to release the names of these detainees. This would allow their families to know where they are, and would allow for such basic rights as the provision of legal counsel. In Brooklyn, Edward McElroy, the New York INS Director responsible for conditions in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park, also refuses to release the names of those detained at the Center or the charges against them, and barred Amnesty International from entering the prison to gather this information.

In keeping with Friends' tradition of service to those in prison, the Brooklyn Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends strongly urges the INS to release the names of those imprisoned and the charges against them, and to provide humane and just treatment for those awaiting trial. We support the immediate discharge of those held wrongfully or unnecessarily. We endorse non-violent actions on behalf of the detainees, including the ongoing protests at the Metropolitan Detention Center, and will continue to do so until we are convinced that the detainees are dealt with fairly according to U.S. and international law.