From Les Blough -

 

The work of our good friend, Amer Jubran, has been essential in the struggle to help stop the genocide of the people of Palestine. Because of his work, Amer has been arrested and imprisoned here in the United States, by local authorities and the federal government. He has been arrested twice for doing nothing more than speaking out against the occupation and extreme oppression of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel.  He was first arrested on false charges in April, 2001, when he was leading a street-demonstration here in the U.S.  The charges against him were thrown out of court when it was revealed that the State of Israel paid bribes to local police here - to arrest him while he was leading a demonstration for the Palestinian people. 

 

In a joint operation carried out by agents of the FBI and what was then the INS, Amer was arrested the second time last November.  This time the government is charging him with technical violations of his green card and is attempting to deport him.  This time they could succeed if we do not act on his behalf.  His trial is scheduled for July 24, 2003.  The Amer Jubran Defense Committee (AJDC), comprised of citizens like you and me, has been working tirelessly to stop this second assault on Amer's civil rights by the State of Israel and the U.S. Federal Government.

 

Please do everything you can to participate in the following campaign to help Amer Jubran and the Palestinian people.  The following plea comes from the AJDC with practical ways in which you can help.  Wherever you live, you can help.  Thank you for anything you can do for us in this campaign for Amer, the Palestinian people, and for peace, freedom and justice. 

Ways you can help (from the AJDC) 

Please forward widely . . .

AMER JUBRAN'S: UPCOMING TRIAL; NEW PHONE AND LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN AND LEGAL UPDATE 

Mr. Jubran's trial is scheduled for July 24th. We need your presence at his trial and your support in our renewed phone, letter writing, and fax campaign the week of May 26th. If you are not familiar with Mr. Jubran's case or the details of his defense, further information can be found below or at www.amerjubrandefense.org.

News from the campaign:

- Amer Jubran's hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 24th at 1 PM. Please come to support Amer at his hearing at the JFK Federal Building in Government Center in Boston. For details, please see www.amerjubrandefense.org

- Based on the success of our last two phone-in campaigns, we are organizing two phone-in days to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (BICE) WEDNESDAY MAY 28th and FRIDAY MAY 30th. (INS no longer exists. The office we wish to contact now falls under the BICE a bureau of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.) The BICE office number is the same (617) 565-4214 and other numbers (local senators) are listed below. 
 
- In light of the illegal aspects of his arrest and detention, Mr. Jubran filed a formal complaint with the INS Regional Office in Boston on January 30th and forwarded complaint letters to the Regional District Director on February 5th. To date, he has still not received a response to this complaint. When you call the INS offices, please ask what specific actions the INS has taken to respond to the formal complaint filed by Mr. Jubran on January 30th. Has there been a formal investigation? Have the INS agents involved in his arrest been questioned or received any formal reprimand?

- Phone calling tip: The office administrative assistant you speak to may tell you that they are not at liberty to discuss Mr. Jubran's case with you or that they have received too many phone calls to respond to you individually. Nevertheless, please be sure to register your concerns with Mr. Steven Farquharson (Interim Director) and Ms. Paula Grenier (Public Affairs Spokesperson). If you are not forwarded directly to Mr. Farquharson, ask for Paula Grenier's voice mail box. She has been filing reports on the number and content of calls received regarding Mr. Jubran's case.

- Please continue writing and faxing letters to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the week of May 26th. It is most strategic to fax letters on our phone in days (MAY 28th and MAY 30th.)

 

Background on the case:

 

On the morning of November 4, 2002, well-known Palestinian rights activist Amer Jubran was arrested by INS agents at his home in Cumberland, Rhode Island. Only two days earlier, Mr. Jubran had helped to lead a march for Palestinian rights in Boston-the first demonstration organized by the New England Committee to Defend Palestine, a group which he had helped to create. The details of his arrest make it clear that he was targeted for his political activism and outspokenness:

 

� The arrest was a joint operation carried out by agents of the FBI and what was then the INS.

 

� The FBI attempted to question Mr. Jubran about his legitimate political activities and explicitly threatened him with indefinite INS detention if he refused to 'cooperate.'

 

� The arrest took place only after Mr. Jubran insisted on his right to have a lawyer present for this attempted interrogation.

 

The INS proceeded to hold Mr. Jubran for 17 days at the Adult Correctional Institution in Cranston, RI, without bail. They informed his lawyer that they intended to hold him 'indefinitely,' but refused to cite any charges or infractions of INS regulations that would warrant such detention. After a concerted international campaign of public pressure, the INS finally agreed to hold a bond hearing. Mr. Jubran was released on minimum bond on November 21.

 

The BICE (a bureau of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security now dealing with immigrant detention and deportation), however, has continued its illegitimate harassment. Mr. Jubran now faces a BICE order of deportation based on false allegations of technical violations in his green card status. At a pre-trial hearing on February 27, 2003, at the JFK Federal Building in Boston, the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service made clear its intention to continue its politically motivated prosecution of Palestinian human rights activist Amer Jubran. Appearing before INS Judge Leonard Shapiro, the government prosecutor revealed it had no witnesses and would rely on an immigration technicality in its effort to have Mr. Jubran deported. Mr. Jubran now faces a full-blown deportation trial on July 24.

 

Regarding the illegal aspects of Mr. Jubran's arrest and detention, he filed a formal complaint with the INS Regional Office in Boston on January 30th and forwarded complaint letters to the Regional District Director, Mr. Farquharson, on February 5th.

 

Amer's formal complaint to the INS can be found at:

  http://www.amerjubrandefense.org/INS_Complaint.html

Talking points:

Please call the BICE and express your continued concerns about Mr. Jubran's case and his upcoming trial July 24th. Mr. Jubran's prosecution has been illegal and illegitimate since it began; in light of this, the charges should be dropped immediately.

 

1. Briefly identify the important facts in the case

 

2. Stress the fact that the INS and FBI collaborated to target a political activist and violated due process while doing so.

 

3. Demand that the BICE end its politically motivated deportation proceedings against Amer Jubran

 

4. As mentioned above, inquire after the status of the complaint proceedings, specifically has there been a formal investigation? Have the INS agents involved in his arrest been questioned or received any formal reprimand?

 

5. If you have already written a letter or called previously, please make reference to this and express your dissatisfaction if the Boston INS or BICE has failed to respond to your concerns

 

6. Identify any important qualifications or community standing which you may have.

Letter Writing:

 

A deluge of letters to the INS--demanding that Amer Jubran either be released immediately or that he be charged openly and a bond hearing be set--helped win his release from indefinite INS detention. The campaign must be continued to put an end to the illegitimate BICE proceedings against him. Addresses and fax numbers can be found below.

 

Addresses: Please send your letters to:

 

Mr. Stephen J. Farquharson

Interim Director

Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Room 1700, JFK Federal Building

Boston, MA 02203

 

And please CC copies to:

 

Michael Garcia, Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement

425 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20536

Senator Edward M. Kennedy

2400 JFK Federal Building

Boston, MA 02203

Phone (617) 565-3170

 

Senator John Kerry

One Bowdoin Square, Tenth Floor

Boston, MA 02114

Phone (617) 565-8519

 

Senator Lincoln Chafee

RI: 401 453 5294

Fax: 401 453 5085

170 Westminster St. Suite 1100

Providence RI 00903

www.chafee.senate.gov

 

Senator Jack Reed

RI: 401 943 3100

Fax: 401 464 6837

201 Hillside Rd, Suite 200

Cranston RI 02920

jack@reed.senate.gov

 

And finally, please send a copy to us:

 

Amer Jubran Defense Committee (c/o NECDP)

P.O. Box 755

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

 

Please let us know if you are willing for us to post your letters online and, if you can, please e-mail copies of letters to ajdc@amerjubrandefense.org

 

Petition

 

A petition is available for groups who want to give their support. If you represent a group who might be interested in signing a petition demanding that the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement stop its attacks against free speech and political organizing, please contact us at petition@amerjubrandefense.org

 

Funds

 

Money is needed to help cover the costs of what is likely to be a protracted legal battle. Checks can be made out to "Amer Jubran Defense Committee" and mailed to the address above.

 

Organizing

 

Please consider helping with the work of the Amer Jubran Defense Committee. Our meeting time/location are posted on our website weekly at www.amerjubrandefense.org  We plan to hold ongoing events and actions to build public awareness of this case and to organize an effective pressure campaign. We are also committed to helping to build a larger movement in response to the plight of all immigrant detainees and against growing political repression in this country.

 

Please contact us for more information about weekly meetings and public events.

 

For more information on how to help, please visit

www.amerjubrandefense.org

email: ajdc@amerjubrandefense.org

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Jubran-coordinators mailing list

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Jubran-announce mailing list

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