Hotline assists those who face terrorism queries

Volunteer lawyers offer legal advice to anyone who may be questioned about the Sept. 11 attacks.

©Associated Press
December 10, 2001

TALLAHASSEE -- A toll-free hotline offering legal help became available Sunday for individuals sought by Florida authorities for questioning about terrorism activity.

The 24-hour toll-free phone number provides advice to people of Muslim, Arab and South Asian descent targeted for questioning about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Hotline calls were forwarded to volunteer attorneys, Florida American Civil Liberties Union spokeswoman Alessandra Soler said Sunday.

"We want anybody who has been contacted by any law enforcement agency to know they're entitled to legal representation," Soler said. "Anybody who knows somebody who has been contacted, a family member or friend, should put us in touch with them."

The ACLU and Council on American-Islamic Relations are also distributing brochures in English, Spanish and Arabic advising people about their rights.

Working with the U.S. Justice Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is seeking "voluntary" interviews with 546 men in the state on nonimmigrant visas who "fit the criteria of persons who might have knowledge of foreign-based terrorists."

"We want to make sure that once they're there and cooperating there's someone looking after their interest as well because clearly the investigators have their own agenda," said Khurrum Wahid, director of civil rights for CAIR's Florida office.

The FDLE also promised that its agents wouldn't bring INS agents with them and wouldn't question individuals about their immigration status.

"None of the individuals to be interviewed are suspected of involvement in any crime, and they will not be treated as criminals," FDLE Commissioner James T. "Tim" Moore said in a letter to community leaders. "Interviews will be consensual and our officers will respect each individual's rights, culture and religious beliefs."

The U.S. Justice Department provided the state with a list of men ages 18 to 33 who come from the Middle East and other countries and entered the United States after Jan. 1, 2000.

But the state has experienced difficulty getting more information from the INS, which said local officers do not have the authority to detain someone just because they are in the country illegally.

"We have suspended way too many civil rights already," said John Ovink, a Tampa immigration attorney.

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