SAN FRANCISCO, CA – In the wake of a new U.S. Department of Justice directive requiring law enforcement interviews of 3,000 individuals from Middle Eastern countries over the next 60 days, civil rights and community organizations across Northern California are calling the operation a troubling and counterproductive manifestation of the practice of racial profiling. 

The groups are writing letters to local police departments in Northern California, urging them to decline to participate in the dragnet.  The groups are also applauding the decisions of the San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland and San Mateo Police Departments in refusing to take part in a similar round up of 5,000 non-immigrant men in November 2001.  The groups encourage individuals targeted for law enforcement interviews to call (415) 285-1055, a hotline providing free legal advice and assistance.

“We understand the government’s need to gather information when investigating the terrorist attacks of September 11,” said Jayashri Srikantiah, staff attorney with the ACLU-NC. “But broad-based targeting of individuals based on their ethnicity and national origin is nothing more than racial profiling.  We encourage every police department in Northern California to avoid jeopardizing their relationship with communities of color by declining to participate in the discriminatory federal dragnet.”

“The Arab-American community is as committed as any other segment of American society to ensuring our nation’s security, but this is clearly a form of racial profiling which we believe has no place in American law enforcement,” said Ziad Asali, President of the American-Arab Discrimination Committee.  In response to Attorney General John Ashcroft's statements that the government’s actions have improved relations between the Arab-American community and law enforcement, Asali said, “The Attorney General is wrong to think that these investigations have created a greater level of trust between the Arab-American community and law enforcement.  Broad based investigations of thousands of people, especially when based on an ethnic profile, inevitably spread fear and anxiety in any community.”

Individuals targeted for questioning should call (415) 285-1055, the hotline co-sponsored by the National Lawyers Guild, the ACLU of Northern California, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.  The ACLU is also offering free “Know Your Rights” brochures in Arabic, English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Spanish to inform individuals about their rights if they are stopped or arrested by the police, the FBI, the INS or Customs Agents. Free copies of the brochure are available by calling the ACLU of Northern California at 415-621-2493.