U.S. Is Right to Take Precautions With Muslim Men on Temporary Visas

Re “Doomed to Repeat Ourselves,” by John Saito, Commentary, Dec. 22: The difference between the internment of Japanese Americans in 1942 and surveillance of Muslims post-Sept. 11 is based on numbers, resources and ideology. There were only a few hundred thousand Japanese Americans, mostly on the West Coast, too small a number to conceal terrorist cells. Also, they were not wealthy and had no history of, nor an ideology that could be used to justify, terrorist acts.

Today there is a much larger population of Middle Easterners in the U.S., which, without monitoring, could easily provide cover for small, disciplined terrorist cells. Also, great wealth is available to them, there is a history of terrorist activity, and certain interpretations of Islam condone, and even demand, terrorism against its perceived enemies.

I expect our government to protect us from the threat of terrorism in spite of the histrionics of people like Saito.

Raymond R. Toal

Mission Viejo

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Re “Caught Between Dueling Policies,” Dec. 21: The real outrage here is not dueling policies, but visitors with visas who come to the United States to visit with the intent of never leaving. We were brutally reminded on 9/11 that our lack of enforcement of our immigration and visitor laws contributed to that horrible day as well as to our ongoing problems. Visitors can scream that they have rights all they want, but we have laws. People wanting to establish residence in the United States should adhere to our laws and enter our country legally.

Following the law will ensure a warm welcome to the United States to all people.

Rita Sias

Grover Beach, Calif.

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I am appalled and ashamed at the manner in which the INS has handled the voluntary registration of Muslim men on temporary visas.

Shackled? Denied permission to see families? I agree with Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose): “I doubt that persons guilty of terrorist activities would voluntarily cooperate with the INS” (“Immigration Attorney for 7 Detainees Lashes Out at INS,” Dec. 23).

Louise Steinman

Los Angeles

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Before we rush to any conclusions that the people detained by the INS when they showed up to register were just “waiting for the paperwork to come through,” let’s wait until all the facts are in (“INS Detentions Are a Bust,” editorial, Dec. 20). It’s worth remembering that Mohamed Atta was also waiting on his student-visa paperwork when he crashed a jet into the World Trade Center. (His paperwork finally did come through, six months later.)

Having submitted an application for some kind of adjustment of status does not mean that it will be granted or that the applicant is not in violation of the law in the meantime. It is also a very common delay tactic used by people who are trying to get around the law. One can only imagine the editorials that would be written if the INS looked the other way because someone was “waiting on his paperwork” and that someone turned out to be a terrorist.

Dan Stein

Exec. Dir., Federation

for American Immigration

Reform, Washington

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Re your editorial: It makes a lot of sense to round up and detain people from Muslim and Middle Eastern countries. A community that is battered, weak, harassed, scared and licking its wounds is unlikely to stand up to the Bush war machine as it gears up toward attacking Iraq.

Ayham Dahi

Long Beach