Boston, November 7, 2002
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IAC-Boston pages
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At 8 am on Monday, November 4 INS and FBI agents raided the
Cumberland, RI home of Palestinian activist Amer
Jubran and detained him at the INS holding center in
Providence. He has now been transferred to the ACI
correctional facility in Cranston, RI.
On inquiry,
Jubran's lawyer Barry Wilson was told only that Jubran
was being held pending investigation of violations of
unspecified INS statutes. His INS lawyer, Nelson Brill,
was informed on November 7 by INS officer Mike Clifford at
the INS service office in Providence, RI that the INS is
planning to detain Amer indefinitely. No reasons have been
provided for indefinite detention, as required by INS
regulations. Attorney Brill has moved for a formal bond
proceeding to be scheduled immediately.
Supporters should
be prepared on short notice to demonstrate and pack the court
whenever this bond hearing is scheduled, and should
write immediately to INS District Director Steven J Farquharson
(address below) demanding Amer Jubran's immediate release and decrying
this illegal raid and detention.
Supporters see the hand of homeland security behind this illegal detention, which
follows the pattern of detentions of Palestinian
activists around the country. The INS is attempting
to use a smokescreen of INS technicalities to try to
deny Jubran his right to stay in the country, but the
real issue is his refusal to cooperate with the FBI in
attacking the Anti-war movement and his outspoken activism
in defense of the rights of the Palestinian nation. Two days before the INS/FBI illegal raid and Jubran's detention, on
Saturday, Novemeber 2, Jubran had led a march through
the streets of Boston past the Israeli consulate to
demand an end of all U.S. support for Israel and full
rights for the Palestinian nation. The march was sponsored
by the New England
Committee to Defend Palestine, which
Jubran co-founded.
Jubran at historic International ANSWER rally of 100,000 for Palestine in D.C., April 20, 2002
WFN photo: Stephanie Simmard |
Jubran has been a prominent activist in protests in the Boston area in defense of Palestine. On June 10, 2001 he led a demonstration in Brookline, Mass protesting a Zionist celebration of Israeli independence, and was arrested on fabricated charges made by a Zionist agitator. All charges were dropped after a five month peoples campaign by the Committee to Defend Amer Jubran and the International Action Center exposed the flagrant police and city misconduct in trying to shut down a legal protest while in the pay of the Zionist festival.
Jubran has worked with the A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition on numerous protests against the brutal and genocidal Israeli occupation of Palestine, including a march of 2500 on April 6, 2002 from Government Center to the Israeli consulate protesting Israeli massacres and war crimes that intensified in March; frequent pickets in front of the Israeli consulate; and a march on June 9, 2002, organized by the New England Committee to Defend Palestine of International ANSWER, to again protest the Zionist Israeli Independence Day festival, this time held on the Boston common. He has participated and spoken at national A.N.S.W.E.R. demonstrations against the Bush administrations' wars, including the April 20, 2002 march of over 100,000 in Washington DC in defense of Palestinian rights and the Intifada.
"War Now, Hell No!"
Jubran fires up the crowd in front of the Northeastern Univ. ROTC during ANSWER Boston march
Oct. 27, 2001
photo: Dave Roberts |
Jubran's detention is part of a pattern of homeland
security illegal detentions of Palestinian activists,
here in New England and around the country. In May the
Cambridge, Ma police, INS and FBI illegally detained
Palestinian activist Jaoudat Abouazza (see
http://www.iacboston.org/abouazza ) also because of his activism in defense of Palestine. Abouazza was subjected to FBI brutality attempting to coerce him
into attacking and informing on the anti-war movement. A
vigorous grassroots campaign led by the
A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition succeeded in getting him
released to Canada, where he has continued to be
harrassed by the FBI.
Supporters of Amer Jubran are urged to write letters to :
Richard D. Neville
Assistant Chief Counsel
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
Bruce Chadbourne
District Director
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Room 1700
JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
Michael Garcia
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
425 I Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20536
with copies to:
Director, Office of Internal Audit
425 I Street, NW
Room 3260
Washington, DC 20536
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator John Kerry
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Third Floor
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator Lincoln Chafee
170 Westminster St. Suite 1100
Providence, RI 02903
Senator Jack Reed
201 Hillside Rd, Suite 200
Cranston RI 02920
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senate Judiciary Committee
Courthouse Plaza
199 Main St
Burlington, VT 05401
Amer Jubran Defense Committee
P.O.Box 755
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
demanding that all charges and deportation proceedings against Amer Jubran be
dropped immediately!
CONTRIBUTIONS for Amer's Legal Defense and to support the campaign to free Amer should be made out to Amer Jubran Defense Committee and sent to
Amer Jubran Defense Committee
P.O. Box 755
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
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Sample letter to BICE Assistant Chief Counsel:
Richard D. Neville
Assistant Chief Counsel
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
cc: Bruce Chadbourne
District Director
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Department of Homeland Security
Room 1700
JFK Federal Building
Boston, MA 02203
Michael Garcia
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
425 I Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20536
Director, Office of Internal Audit
425 I Street, NW
Room 3260
Washington, DC 20536
Senator Edward M. Kennedy
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator John Kerry
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Third Floor
Washington, D.C. 20510
Senator Lincoln Chafee
170 Westminster St. Suite 1100
Providence, RI 02903
Senator Jack Reed
201 Hillside Rd, Suite 200
Cranston RI 02920
Senator Patrick Leahy
Senate Judiciary Committee
Courthouse Plaza
199 Main St
Burlington, VT 05401
Amer Jubran Defense Committee
P.O.Box 755
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Dear Mr. Neville,
I am writing to you to demand that all charges and
deportation proceedings against Palestinian Amer Jubran
be dropped immediately. I view the raid on Mr Jubran's
home by INS and FBI agents on Monday, Nov. 4, 2002 as
illegal and a politically motivated attack on free
speech and all activity and activists in support of
Palestinian rights. The alleged violations of INS
regulations are baseless and a smokescreen whose real
purpose is to prevent Mr. Jubran from continuing his
active and energetic advocacy for the Palestinian
people. Just 2 days before the raid, Mr. Jubran had led
a march through the streets of Boston past the Israeli
consulate in defense of Palestine. His detention was an
attempt to chill and intimidate the growing anti-war
movement and movement in defense of the Palestinians.
The proceedings against Mr. Jubran have been illegal
and discriminatory. Federal agents interrogated his
defense witnesses for 9 hours or more the week before
his July 24 deportation hearing, causing them to fear
repercussions if they testified in his defense. Even
though no viable case was presented against Mr. Jubran
and his defense was strong despite the intimidation,
the case was not dropped.
Mr. Jubran's detention and the trumped up charges
against him must be seen as part of a pattern of racial
profiling and of INS sweeps of Palestinians, Arabs, and
Muslims. This violates all standards of justice and is
an attack on the civil liberties of everyone. Justice
must be served. All charges and deportation proceedings
against Amer Jubran must be dropped at once.
Sincerely,
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On-Line Petition to demand that all charges against
Palestinian activist Amer Jubran be dropped immediately
