147 people
about 185 were held on immigration-law violations; a small undisclosed number were held as material witnesses; and the rest were detained for criminal charges unrelated to terrorism. Consequently about 1
000 people with no link to terrorism
aside from their ethnic background or skin color
sat in jail cells for undisclosed periods of time because Osama bin Laden planned the murder of more than 3
000 innocent people and because John Ashcroft finds it acceptable to arrest people for being Arab American. Keep in mind the fact that the Justice Department had no responsibility
according to its own policy
to release information regarding these prisoners-
charges or dates of arrest. The families of hundreds had no idea of what had happened to their loved ones. While they repeatedly asked for information in writing
on the telephone and in person
