Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 41 VTMBH Article: Article Order 4 VTMBH Article: Title Filipinos fear the INS invitation may result in arrest, deportation VTMBH Article: Author Emelyn Tapaoan VTMBH Article: Publication Filipino Express VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body How can we walk into the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) without fear, when people of color on the subway or in their homes were being questioned and arrested? This reaction was one of several Filipinos to the invitation from an INS official for Filipinos to go freely to the INS office to clarify doubts on their visa status or to inquire about immigration rules and policies. Dont be afraid of the INS, said Christian Rodriguez, the INS New York Public Affairs Specialists, who was one of the resource persons in a forum sponsored by the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. and the Philippine Consulate General in New York on Oct. 19 at the Philippine Center. Rodriguez said the INS has only 110 agents in New York to monitor millions of immigrants. But not all of them are bad, although we are the most hated agency next to IRS, quipped Rodriguez, adding that the INS gives out free coffee and doughnuts to people waiting in line. But the invitation was slammed by Lolita Compas, PIDC Vice President, saying how can one not have fear going to the INS, when local secret service agents can knock at ones door 6:00 a.m. and arrest non-citizens, without the benefit of legal counsel? Compas remark was received with nods of agreement from the Filipino audience, some of whom said, only a dummie would go walking at the INS office. Others murmured, we dont want your doughnuts. If the INS people are all like you, Mr. Rodriguez, then, perhaps, our fellow Filipinos can inquire freely at the INS, said Philippine Consul General Linglingay Lacanlale, but the consulate office has received numerous reports of interrogation and arrest without due process. After September 11th, its the liberties of non-citizens that have been most severely curtailed, said lawyer Reuben Seguritan, PIDC president. He said that in combating terrorism, the U.S. government has established a climate that erodes precious human rights to due process, equal protection, legal counsel, and a fair trial. The aftermath of September 11th has resulted in a backlash against Filipino communities, and other people of color, taking the forms of deportation and detention of hundreds of Filipinos by the INS and the FBI, he said. Sin Yen Ling, staff attorney of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), was also one of the panelists. She lashed at the so-called immigration policy change giving state and local police department the power to track down illegal immigrants as part of the effort to combat terrorism. Ling cited the case of an undocumented Filipino immigrant who was picked up by the New York Police Department (NYPD) because of a violation of immigration laws that has nothing to do with criminal laws. Ling, the nations leading authority on anti-Asian violence, also revealed that thousands of immigrants were swept up and disappeared into detention and secret trials; racial profiling turned from an increasingly discredited and offensive means of crime-fighting into a brazen national policy. She said the most egregious breach has been the preventive detention of thousands of Muslim, Arab and South Asian immigrants under an unprecedented veil of secrecy. She said some have been deported without yielding information about or connections to terrorism. Reports from the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights pointed out that the attorney general also changed the regulations that govern detention. By declaration, he expanded the period the INS can detain someone without charges from 24 to 48 hours, and added that in times of emergency, an unspecified reasonable period of time was permissible, giving agents leave to incarcerate first and then dig up minor immigration violations as justification. The LCHR said the majority of non-citizens detained by the government were long-term residents, business owners and taxpayers. Many are married to U.S. citizens and have U.S. citizen children. (The exact number cannot be known; the government stopped releasing its running tally in November at 1182). We as a community of immigrants should organize ourselves to have our rights and voices heeded, said Rebecca Thornton, one of the forums resource speakers and an Equal Justice Work Fellow at the LCHR. She persuaded those present at the forum to come up with strategies such as a letter writing campaign, lobbying, among others, to make your issues known. Several of those in attendance echoed Thorntons suggestion saying, it is high time for us to get organize and stir our tales to advocacy and action. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-03 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 144 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Filipinos fear the INS invitation may result in arrest, deportation 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-03