Speech #1100126810

Now. perhaps more than ever before. our Nation cannot afford to waste precious law enforcement resources or alienate Americans by tolerating discriminatory practices. The mass detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern and Arab men on minor violations after 9/ 11. for example. resulted in not a single terrorism charge. These detentions did. however. shatter the lives of many people with no connection to terrorism whatsoever through lengthy disappearances. detentions. and deportations. Similarly. when the Federal Government required the registration of individuals from Arab or Muslim countries in 2002. between 500 and 1.000 registrants who voluntarily complied were detained in the Los Angeles/Orange County area alone. Such heavyhanded tactics do not help us in fighting terrorismthey shut off dialogue and make good people unwilling to risk interaction with their Government.