WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 — A coalition of Muslim-American groups sued Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Immigration and Naturalization Service today after hundreds of immigrant men were arrested and detained last week while trying to register with federal authorities.
The registration is part of an effort by the Justice Department to identify potential terrorists.
The class-action suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, says that immigration officials unlawfully arrested and detained the men without appropriate warrants and that it is illegal to arrest and deport people who are eligible to apply for legal status based on family relationships or employment.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the Alliance of Iranian Americans, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the National Council of Pakistani Americans, as well as four people who were arrested last week in California, are the lead plaintiffs.
A spokesman for the immigration agency would not comment on the case, and the Justice Department did not return calls.
Last month, Mr. Ashcroft issued an order that requires virtually all male noncitizens older than 16 from more than 12 countries, mostly Arab and Muslim, to be interviewed, photographed and fingerprinted by the government. Thousands of immigrants, most of whom have work and study visas, are affected. Those who fail to comply face criminal charges and immediate deportation.
The deadline for men from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria was Dec. 16, the first in a series of deadlines to end in 2004 with the registration of all foreign citizens in the United States.
The program does not apply to permanent residents, people who were given or asked for asylum before Nov. 6 or diplomats.
www.nytimes.com/2002/12/25/national/25IMMI.htmlE-mail this article