[2241] in peace2
Help Immigrant and Activist Amer Jubran
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Aimee L Smith)
Tue Feb 18 01:27:43 2003
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Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 01:27:20 -0500
From: Aimee L Smith <alsmith@MIT.EDU>
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***Please forward widely***
PRE-TRIAL HEARING; NEW PHONE CAMPAIGN; LEGAL UPDATE
Mr. Jubran's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for February 27th.
We need your presence at his hearing and your support in our renewed
phone, letter writing, and fax campaign the week of February 17th.
If you are not familiar with Mr. Jubran's case or the details of his
defense, further information can be found below or at
www.amerjubrandefense.org.
* News from the campaign:
- Amer Jubran's pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Thursday, February
27th at 9 AM. Please come to support Amer at his hearing at the JFK
Federal Building in Government Center in Boston. For details, please see
www.amerjubrandefense.org
- Based on the success of our last two phone-in campaigns, we are
organizing two phone-in days to the Boston District INS offices on
Tuesday February 18th and Thursday February 20th. The Boston office
number is (617) 565-4214 and other numbers (local senators) are listed
below.
- In light of the illegal aspects of his arrest and detention, Mr.
Jubran filed a formal complaint with the INS Regional Office in Boston
on January 30th and forwarded complaint letters to the Regional District
Director on February 5th. When you call the INS offices, please ask
what specific actions the INS has taken to respond to the formal
complaint filed by Mr. Jubran on January 30th. Has there been a formal
investigation? Have the INS agents involved in his arrest been
questioned or received any formal reprimand?
- Phone calling tip: The office administrative assistant you speak to
may tell you that they are not at liberty to discuss Mr. Jubran's case
with you or that they have received too many phone calls to respond to
you individually. Nevertheless, please be sure to register your
concerns with Mr. Steven Farquharson (Regional District Director), Mr.
Dennis Riordan (Deputy District Director), and Ms. Paula Grenier (Public
Affairs Spokesperson). If you are not forwarded directly to Mr.
Farquharson or Mr. Riordan, ask for Paula Grenier's mailbox. She has
been filing reports on the number and content of calls received
regarding Mr. Jubran's case.
- Please continue writing and faxing letters to the Boston INS
office during the week of February 17th. It is most strategic to
fax letters on our phone in days (February 18th and February 20th.)
* Background on the case:
On the morning of November 4, 2002, well-known Palestinian rights
activist Amer Jubran was arrested by INS agents at his home in
Cumberland, Rhode Island. Only two days earlier, Mr. Jubran had helped
to lead a march for Palestinian rights in Boston-the first demonstration
organized by the New England Committee to Defend Palestine, a group
which he had helped to create. The details of his arrest make it clear
that he was targeted for his political activism and outspokenness:
· The arrest was a joint operation carried out by agents of the FBI and
the INS.
· The FBI attempted to question Mr. Jubran about his legitimate
political activities and explicitly threatened him with indefinite INS
detention if he refused to 'cooperate.'
· The arrest took place only after Mr. Jubran insisted on his right to
have a lawyer present for this attempted interrogation.
The INS proceeded to hold Amer for 17 days at the Adult Correctional
Institution in Cranston, RI, without bail. They informed his lawyer that
they intended to hold him 'indefinitely,' but refused to cite any
charges or infractions of INS regulations that would warrant such
detention. After a concerted international campaign of public pressure,
the INS finally agreed to hold a bond hearing. Amer was released on
minimum bond on November 21.
The INS, however, has continued its illegitimate harassment. Amer now
faces an INS order of deportation based on false allegations of
technical violations in his green card status. He will have a pre-trial
hearing on these charges before an INS judge in Boston on February 27,
2003.
* Talking points:
Please call the Boston office and express your continued concerns about
Amer's case and his upcoming pre-trial hearing February 27th. Amer's
prosecution has been illegal and illegitimate since it began; in light
of this, the INS charges should be dropped immediately.
- --Briefly identify the important facts in the case
- --Stress the fact that the INS and FBI collaborated to target a
political activist and violated due process while doing so
- --Demand that the INS end its politically motivated deportation
proceedings against Amer Jubran
- --As mentioned above, inquire after the status of the complaint
proceedings.
- --If you have already written a letter or called previously, please make
reference to this and express your dissatisfaction if the Boston
INS has failed to respond to your concerns
- --Identify any important qualifications or community standing which
you may have
* Letter Writing
A deluge of letters to the INS--demanding that Amer Jubran either
be released immediately or that he be charged openly and a bond
hearing be set--helped win his release from indefinite INS detention.
The campaign must be continued to put an end to the illegitimate INS
proceedings against him. Address and fax numbers can be found below.
* Addresses
Send your letters to:
Mr. Stephen J. Farquharson
INS Regional District Director
Room 1700, JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
And please CC copies to:
Michael Garcia, Acting Commissioner
Immigration and Naturalization Service
425 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20536
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
2400 JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
Phone (617) 565-3170
Senator John Kerry
One Bowdoin Square, Tenth Floor
Boston, MA 02114
Phone (617) 565-8519
Senator Lincoln Chafee
RI: 401 453 5294
Fax: 401 453 5085
170 Westminster St. Suite 1100
Providence RI 00903
www.chafee.senate.gov
Senator Jack Reed
RI: 401 943 3100
Fax: 401 464 6837
201 Hillside Rd, Suite 200
Cranston RI 02920
jack@reed.senate.gov
And finally, please send a copy to us:
Amer Jubran Defense Committee (c/o NECDP)
P.O. Box 755
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Please let us know if you are willing for us to post your letters
online and, if you can, please e-mail copies of letters to
ajdc@amerjubrandefense.org.
* Funds
Money is needed to help cover the costs of what is likely to be a
protracted legal battle. Checks can be made out to "Amer Jubran
Defense Committee" and mailed to the address above.
* Organizing
Please consider helping with the work of the Amer Jubran Defense
Committee. Our next meetings is this Sunday evening, February 16th at
6:30 PM in MIT Rm 12-102.
We plan to hold ongoing events and actions to build public awareness
of this case and to organize an effective pressure campaign. We are also
committed to helping to build a larger movement in response to the
plight of all immigrant detainees and against growing political
repression in this country. Contact us for more information about
weekly meetings and
public events.
For more information on how to help, please visit
www.amerjubrandefense.org
email: ajdc@amerjubrandefense.org
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