DEARBORN – Arab American community leaders voiced growing concerns with several issues involving law enforcement agencies Thursday at a Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity (BRIDGES) meeting.

About 60 Arab American leaders and law enforcement officials discuss civil rights issues at the Lebanese American Heritage Club in Dearborn on Thursday in a regular Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity (BRIDGES) meeting. PHOTO: Khalil AlHajal/TAAN

Among the main issues discussed was the Department of Justice’s new FBI guidelines, expected to go into effect as soon as December 1.
The guidelines are expected to essentially allow federal law enforcement agents to conduct investigations of individuals based solely on what they deem to be questionable activity, even without any crime having been committed. Many in attendance claimed that the community as a whole is seriously concerned with the potential civil rights violations that may result from these new guidelines.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has been addressing the concerns at the local and national level by actively communicating with local law enforcement and government officials.

“Despite our objections to these guidelines, we remain committed to dialogue with the DOJ and local FBI to discuss the future implementation,” said Imad Hamad, ADC Michigan Regional Director and co-Chair of BRIDGES. “ADC reiterates its call to the community to report any contact as a result of these guidelines, and to keep in mind their constitutional rights. ADC and the rest of the community leadership are determined to address this challenge and protect the members of this community.”

Andrew Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit division, acknowledged the community’s concern and said that the local office will work diligently to ensure that profiling will not take place.

“We are going to work to ensure that the proper procedure is followed by all of our agents,” said Arena. “There are certain levels of authority that each case must go through in order for an individual to be brought up on charges, and we will do our best to prevent any kind of profiling or civil rights violations.”

Arena added that every agent will go through an 8-10 hour training program that will educate them on the proper measures to take when enforcing the new guidelines.

The meeting also addressed an issue involving local immigrants who have been unexpectedly detained by the Office of Detention and Removal (DRO), which operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Over the past few weeks there has been a sudden rise of complaints from families of community members who were abruptly detained, according to ADC, despite being granted a stay of deportation order or being released under order of supervision while awaiting a court’s final decision.

Immigration attorneys have reportedly received very few answers from DRO officers, and in many cases families are unsure of the reason the detainee is being held. Allegations of mistreatment in the detention centers have also surfaced, causing more alarm.

Vincent Clausen, Detroit Field Office Director for the DRO, responded to the community’s concerns by claiming that the DRO officers act solely on court orders and have no involvement in who is detained and why.

“We are an enforcement agency, and we will enforce the orders of the U.S. court,” he said. “We will do our best to work with people who come to us for help before detainment proceedings take place, but once an individual is held, it is very difficult to assist them.”

“The individuals who are being held are not criminals or terrorists, yet they are being treated as such,” said Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News. “This is a very serious issue, and, simply put, the procedures being implemented are not working.”