2001-2003: A timeline of major events and policies
affecting immigrants and civil liberties
(Sources: American Immigration Lawyers’ Association,
Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, La Raza Centro
Legal) |
| 9/20/01 |
Detention Without Charge
|
Department of Justice issues interim regulation allowing detention
without charge for 48 hours (or an additional "reasonable
period of time") in the event of emergency. |
| 9/21/01 |
Secret Proceedings
|
Department of Justice instructs immigration judges to keep September
11-related bond and deportation hearings closed, allowing no visitors,
family, or press and releasing no records or information about
cases, including whether they are on the docket or scheduled for
hearings. |
| 10/26/01 |
USA PATRIOT Act |
Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives broad powers to conduct
searches, use electronic surveillance, and detain suspected terrorists. |
| 10/31/01 |
Indefinite Detention |
Ashcroft issues an edict allowing INS to detain immigrants even
after an immigration judge has ordered their release for lack of
evidence. The measure, in effect, results in indefinite detention. |
| 11/7/01 |
Terrorist Task Force |
Bush announces the creation of the first Foreign Terrorist Tracking
Task Force, which will deny entry, detain, prosecute, and deport
anyone suspected of terrorist activity. |
| 11/9/01 |
Questioning of 5,000 Men |
Ashcroft orders the questioning of 5,000 men ages 18-33 who came
from countries connected to al Qaeda. Although "voluntary," investigators
were instructed to check immigration status and hold those with
immigration violations. |
| 11/13/01 |
Military Tribunals |
Bush issues an executive order creating military tribunals to
try non-citizens alleged to be involved in terrorism. |
| 11/16/01 |
No Names Released |
DOJ declares that identities and locations of 9/11 detainees
will not be disclosed. By this time, it’s believed there
are at least 1,200, mostly Arab and Muslim men. |
| 11/19/01 |
Airport Screeners Targeted |
FAA requires U.S. citizenship for airport security screeners.
Out of 28,000 screeners nationwide, 10,000 are thought to be immigrants. |
| 11/29/01 |
Snitch Visas |
Ashcroft authorizes the use of S visas for those who provide
information relating to terrorism. |
| 12/01 |
Operation Tarmac |
Operation Tarmac, a multi-agency sweep of airports nationwide,
begins–resulting in more than 1,000 arrests and deportations
of undocumented airport workers. In southern California, about
100 people were arrested, with 85 charged with document fraud.
The government has since reduced most of the charges against workers
to misdemeanors. |
| 12/4/01 |
Senate Hearings |
Senate holds hearings on 9/11 detainees. Ashcroft testifies that
those who question his policies are "aiding and abetting terrorism," and
goes largely unchallenged. |
| 12/5/01 |
Absconders Initiative |
INS announces that it will send the names of 314,000 immigrants
with outstanding orders of deportation to the FBI for inclusion
in the National Crime Information Center database. Law enforcement
agencies begin to pursue what will become known as the "Alien
Absconders Apprehension Initiative"–eventually resulting
in 758 arrests, according to the INS. |
| 1/8/02 |
AAI Targets 6,000 Men |
DOJ adds to the "Absconders Apprehension Initiative" the
names of 6,000 men from countries suspected of connections to al-Qaeda. |
| 2/02 |
No-Match Letters |
Social Security Administration begins sending "no-match" letters
to more than 750,000 employers, compared to 100,000 in previous
years. Thousands of workers have lost jobs as a result. |
| 2/4/02 |
Budget for War on Terrorism |
Bush submits a budget proposal that would significantly slash
domestic programs to divert funds to the war on terrorism. The
proposal includes the largest defense spending increase in 20 years
and significant funding for INS enforcement efforts. |
| 2/8/02 |
Targeting Undocumented |
DOJ memo instructs federal antiterrorism officials to apprehend
and interrogate thousands of undocumented immigrants with deportation
orders. The memo reportedly instructs federal agents to find a
way to detain some of them for possible criminal charges. |
| 2/25/02 |
Militarizing the Border |
DOJ enters into agreement with the Department of Defense to provide
700 National Guard troops to assist the Border Patrol at the southern
and northern borders. |
| 3/02 |
Restricting Drivers’ Licenses |
Congress and state legislatures begin considering measures to
restrict immigrants’ access to drivers’ licenses. |
| 3/19/02 |
Questioning of 3,000 |
DOJ announces interviews with 3,000 more Arabs and Muslims in
the U.S. as visitors or students. |
| 4/3/02 |
Police with INS Power |
Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issues
an opinion that local law enforcement agencies have authority to
enforce immigration laws. |
| 4/25/02 |
INS Restructuring |
The House passes an INS restructuring bill that would dismantle
the agency. |
| 6/5/02 |
INS Registration Requirement |
Ashcroft announces a new requirement for certain non-immigrants
deemed a national security risk to register and submit fingerprints
and photographs upon arrival in the U.S., report to the INS at
regular intervals, and notify an INS agent of their departure–with
possible criminal prosecution for noncompliance. |
| 6/5/02 |
Dept. of Homeland Security |
Administration announces a proposal for a new Department of Homeland
Security, which would combine the functions of multiple agencies
in the largest government restructuring since the post-World War
II era. |
| 6/26/02 |
Enemy Combatants |
Bush declares two U.S. citizens, Jose Padilla and Yassar Hamdi, "enemy
combatants" who can be held until the end of the war on terrorism,
without access to an attorney or to challenge their detention in
federal court. |
| 7/2/02 |
Florida Gives Police INS Powers |
Florida becomes the first state to sign an agreement with the
DOJ to allow state law enforcement officials to enforce immigration
laws. |
| 7/11/02 |
Sept. 11 Detainees Deported |
DOJ announces that most of the detainees picked up as part of
its investigations of September 11 have been released and many
of them deported. |
| 7/26/02 |
Notify INS of Address Change |
Ashcroft proposes implementation of a 50-year-old requirement
that foreigners alert the government within 10 days of changing
addresses. Failing to register a change of address could result
in deportation. |
| 9/9/02 |
Colleges Turn Over Student Info |
DOJ has asked more than 200 colleges to provide information on
their Middle Eastern students. |
| 9/11/02 |
"Special Registration" Begins |
New registration requirements are put in effect for non-citizens
from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, and Sudan. |
| 11/26/02 |
Homeland Security Act |
Bush signs Homeland Security Act, creating the cabinet-level
Department of Homeland Security. |
| 12/18/02 |
INS Registrants Jailed |
Hundreds of Iranian and other Middle Eastern nationals were arrested
and held in Southern California when they came forward to comply
with registration requirements. Immigrant groups estimate more
than 500 people are jailed in Los Angeles, Orange County, and San
Diego. |
| 1/10/03 |
More Nationalities Targeted |
Registration deadline for men from North Korea, United Arab Emirates,
Morocco, Afghanistan, and nine other countries. Two more rounds
of registrations will follow with the goal of tracking most foreign
nationals by 2005. |
| |
|
|
