LOS ANGELES — Hundreds of angry Iranian-Americans protested against the detention of Middle Eastern men who came forward to register with the authorities.
Scores of male immigrants were detained when they turned up on Monday to register under tightened new United States immigration rules targeting Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan, Sudanese and Syrian nationals.
The protesters raised placards and chanted in the streets of Los Angeles on Wednesday, demanding the release of people held when they came to register under a new system aimed at cracking down on terrorists.
Some protesters brandished signs reading, 'Stop human rights violations against Iranians', 'What happened to liberty and justice', 'What's next? Concentration camps?' and 'Free our fathers, brothers, husbands and sons'.
Said demonstrator Ali Bozorgmehr: 'All Iranians that live in America are hard-working people.
'They are educated people. They love this country and all are against terrorism.'
The government 'has just been taking way too long to process files', said a female protester.
'And we don't see why that is our fault. We don't see why we have to pay for it,' she added.
While US immigration officials refused to comment on the number of detentions, police in California and reports said at least 90 were picked up in San Diego and Orange County areas alone, and that hundreds may have been held in Los Angeles.
Men from the designated countries who were 16 years or older and had overstayed their student, tourist or business visas were arrested immediately, even if they had applied already for legal residency.
Most of them posted bail, but now face deportation hearings.
'These people came in voluntarily. They wanted to comply with the law. This is the worst violation of human rights,' attorney Soheila Jonoubi told the Los Angeles Times.
Immigration and Naturalisation Service spokesman Francisco Arcaude defended the action, saying that naturalised US citizens, residents with green card permits and asylum seekers were unaffected.
'Only visitors who come from areas where there are suspected terrorist issues are affected, and we are doing this for the national security of the United States,' he said.
The Immigration and Naturalisation Service had set Monday as the first deadline for 35 million citizens of targeted countries to register in an operation expected to take three years.
Three major deadlines have been set for foreigners from 17 countries.
The next falls on Jan 10, for citizens of Afghanistan, Lebanon, Eritrea, North Korea, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Under the registration scheme, men required to register are photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed before being put on a list.
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