Thousands of people in the United States and abroad have expressed support for this young Pakistani, who lived and worked in the U.S. legally until he was taken by the government in the post 9/11 sweeps. But the District Director of Immigration & Customs Enforcement has turned a deaf ear to Ansar’s community.
CHRI urges supporters of immigrant rights to take immediate action on this
case. Please note that Ansar is being deported allegedly because he helped some friends who had overstayed their visas. Many millions of people in the U.S. are out-of-status–our relatives, our friends, our neighbors, ourselves. If helping out a friend is a crime, will they arrest us all?
Please note that the date and phone number on this urgent action have been
corrected over earlier versions. The urgent action is followed by articles from
yesterday’s Washington Post and New York Times.
Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 09:57:37 -0400
From: Susan Davies
A terrible decision, but it’s NOT over!
Department of Homeland Security Decides to Deport Ansar Mahmood
CALL IN! To Urge the Government to RECONSIDER
Friday, July 2, 2004, from 2pm to 4pm.
In the same week that the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the rights of detainees, the Department of Homeland Security has denied indefinite detainee Ansar Mahmood his own freedom. Thousands of people in the United States and abroad have expressed support for this young Pakistani, who lived and worked in the U.S. legally until he was taken by the government in the post 9/11 sweeps. But the District Director of Immigration & Customs Enforcement has turned a deaf ear to Ansar’s community. We need the government – our government – to reconsider.
Please help us by making one phone call THIS FRIDAY, JULY 2nd FROM 2-4 PM to Victor Cerda, Detention & Removal Office, 202-514-8663 [corrected #] or
202-305-2734 or FAX Mr. Cerda at any time during the day at 202-306-9659.
Please be polite in your comments. Below is a statement you can use:
*** I urge the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider its decision in
the case of Ansar Mahmood, a young Pakistani man caught in the post 9/11
dragnet. Before being detained he was living and delivering pizza in Hudson,
NY. His community and his supporters around the world have been fighting for
his freedom for 2 years. Ansar has hundreds of letters of support from
individuals and NGOs, as well as the support of eight U.S. senators and 20
members of Congress! District Director William Cleary just issued a decision
denying Ansar’s request for deferred action. Please reverse this decision and
return Ansar to his American community. ***
For more information on how to support this campaign, contact:
* Ansar Mahmood Defense Committee: Susan Davies @ 518.392.9477 or Bob Elmendorf @ 518.766.2992. Also see www.chathampeace.org
* Families for Freedom: Aarti Shahani @ 212.898.4121
And, please, pass this on to others who might be sympathetic to Ansar Mahmood’s cause. Thanks!
