Operation Dragnet

Angelika What the "Rasterfahndung" is to the Germans, "racial profiling" is to the Americans. This term refers to singling out a person solely based on their ethnic background, skin color, or nationality. Theoretically, "racial profiling" is prohibited. Therefore, police are not allowed to identify, stop, or arrest someone simply because of their skin color. However, in practice, there are frequent reports of this happening, particularly to young black men. "Racial profiling" has become a hot topic again since Attorney General Ashcroft ordered 5,000 foreigners, who are in the U.S. on tourist, business, or student visas, to be questioned in connection with the terrorist attacks. These individuals are primarily men between the ages of 18 and 33 from the Middle East. Although Ashcroft preemptively emphasized that those interviews are voluntary and that those men are not considered suspects, this is precisely what makes it "racial profiling," as nationality alone determines who was invited for the interview. Criticism of this approach came from an unusual source. The police chief of Portland, Oregon, refused to locate 200 men in his area who were to be questioned, as he believed the ordered interviews did not comply with his state's laws. In Oregon, police are prohibited from questioning a person about their political or religious views unless the person is suspected of a crime and the questions could help solve it. However, the catalogue of standardized interview questions aimed to investigate political and religious standpoints. Among other things, Ashcroft expects information on how the person felt when they heard about the September 11 attacks and whether they sympathized with the hijackers. Another question aims to find out which cities and landmarks those individuals had visited in the U.S. How one could infer potential terrorism from this answer is a mystery to me. After all, anyone who visited New York, for example, also went to the observation deck of the World Trade Center. Incidentally, the police chief of San Francisco also refused to assist with the interviews.

But in the fight against terrorism, it's not just the stick that's wielded in this country; the carrot is also offered: Foreigners who provide useful information leading to the capture of terrorists are enticed with the possibility of immigrating to the USA. Since 1994, there has been a special visa category that allows an individual to stay in the country for three years, even if they are currently residing illegally in the USA. The idea is not foolish, as individuals who are in the country illegally often remain silent out of fear of being deported. Attorney General Ashcroft assured that even individuals who are not currently in the USA can expect to receive this special visa: Any American embassy will accept useful information regarding terrorists. And although the visa is only valid for three years, Ashcroft even hinted at the possibility of American citizenship for informants in the long term. However, how this would be achieved remains unclear.