Witch-hunt era legislation targets Palestinian activists

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Pre-dawn raids in the Los Angeles area resulted in the arrest of eight Palestinian activists and a Kenyan woman several weeks ago. They were held on charges stemming directly from legislation passed during the witch-hunt era of the 1950s. The case has become a rallying point in defense of civil liberties.

On Jan. 26, agents of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) roused most of the defendants from bed, shackled, and arrested them. According to attorney Brian Hudson, they were kept in isolation for days and denied access to sanitar facilities and medical aid.

On Feb. 17, after nationwide defense efforts, the detainees were ordered released from jail-some on bond and others on their own recognizance. The judge noted that the government has produced no evidence of criminal activity against them.

But they still face deportation. Six of the defendants are charged under provisions of the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act that prohibit the "dissemination of communist literature."

The INS and the FBI have attempted to link the defendants with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, an organi -zation that allegedly "advocates or teaches economic, international, and governmental doctrines of world communism."

The only "evidence" that the government has come up with are several pro-Pales -tinian newspapers said to be in the pos ses -sion of the defendants. In arguing against bail, the attorney for the INS, Melainie Fitzsimmons, maintained that further evidence could only be revealed to the judge in secret because of its "sensitive nature."

The arrests of the Los Angeles activists must be placed within the context of 15 years of stepped-up harassment of Arabs and Arab-Americans living in this country —starting with the FBI's "Operation Boulder" surveillance program of 1972.

Another wave of "investigations" occurred in 1980, when FBI and CIA agents visited employers, neighbors, and families of Arab-Americans, alleging that many of the people under surveillance had "terrorist connections."

Last year, the INS drew up a "contingency plan" to round up thousands of immigrants of Arab descent and deport them. A detention camp under construction in Louisiana will "house up to 5000 aliens," the document states.

The INS plan includes provisions to circumvent due-process protections within existing immigration law. It would allow holding Arab detainees without bond under cover of "national security."

All immigrants are targeted The government wants to create a hysteria against "terrorists" and "com -munists" in order to silence those who disagree with its support to the Zionist state of Israel. It is trying desperately to divert attention from the Iran/contra scandal and other foreign-policy failures.

At the same time, the Los Angeles frame-up detentions should be viewed in light of the economic "restructuring" campaign waged by the government and the capitalist class. They hope to wear down the resistance of the American working class to cutbacks and takeaways by targeting its most vulnerable members —recent immigrants to this country.

According to James Zogby of the Arab American Institute, this case is aimed at establishing legal precedents that will infringe on the rights of all immigrants —as well as U.S. citizens. "Because of anti-Arab racism, Palestinians are the weak link in the civil-rights chain," Zogby said.

The Committee for Justice, a coalition of church and civil-liberties groups, is building support activities for the Los Angeles defendants. Vigils and picket lines have taken place around the country demanding that the charges be dropped.

Protest letters should be sent to Alan Nelson, Commissioner of the INS, 425 "I" St. N.W., Washington, D.C: 20530. Contributions for the legal defense of the Palestinian activists can be sent to the Committee for Justice, 2440 Sunset, Los Angeles, CA 90026.