You can watch the interview here.
The articles occasioning the interview were published recently in The Nation magazine. The one that appeared in the print magazine and online is America's Secret ICE Castles. The ICE Ruse Operations article is a "web exclusive."
Many thanks to those who agreed to be interviewed, including those whose comments space did not permit appearing in these articles. I hope to post a back story piece later and, with permission, will include some of this information there.
I also want to thank, again!, Dan Kowalski, an immigration attorney who runs the Bender's Immigration Bulletin, for his help through his listserve in bringing to my attention people with important stories to share.
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update, 01/05/10
A copy of a letter to The Nation written by Hasan appears in a comment below. This letter was retracted at my request because I recently noticed what Hasan called "embellishments" of his background prior to the narrative of being tortured by an ICE agent. Hasan had told me that he had a green card and that the ICE agent destroyed it, but that is not true. Hasan entered the country legally but was later ordered removed; he never had a green card. He also told me that he had several degrees that he does not in fact possess.
Hasan said that he included this information because he had not been taken seriously in conveying allegations about his torture at an ICE subfield office in 2006.
Hasan initially contacted me after reading the article about subfield offices in The Nation online; he is in Pakistan and someone in the US brought this to his attention. After obtaining a formal waiver from Hasan, I was quickly able to obtain a copy of his ICE file. The file is highly redacted but the information available is consistent with the information Hasan gave me regarding the details of his arrest and deportation, including that Hasan was arrested jointly by ICE and an agent from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Hasan had not seen his file before giving me this information.
I will be following up on his account and will report evidence of torture if this can be verified independent of Hasan's narrative.
I post many accounts of people who are mistreated by ICE agents and to date ICE has not provided evidence that would contradict the information these contain. I of course receive numerous other accounts that I do not pursue because I do not trust the narratives and cannot verify them. Hasan had requested that I remove his comment but in the interests of transparency and for the historical record I am leaving it as is and including this explanation.
3 comments:
Jackie,
Thank you for your beautiful work on this issue. It's so good to see legislators taking notice of your reports so that they can stop the US from disappearing people.
Three cheers for you, the Nation, and Democracy Now.
Dear Jackie,
This letter to the editor was just submitted to The Nation.
Legal Resident, Father and Husband to American citizens…
Arrested, Tortured and Deported by ICE..
I was arrested by ICE in January 2006 while visiting friends in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Not afforded any due process, I was detained in an ICE Office there for two weeks.
I was kept naked and shackled in a cell.
The ICE officer would come in and shock me with a tazer until I passed out. He would then throw cold water on me and begin kicking and punching me, then tazer me into unconsciousness again.
On occasion, when I awoke I would find a pork sandwich on the floor, which was soaked in my urine. I ate this.
His interrogation consisted of questions about Al Qaida’s plans to attack America, specifically its nuclear facilities. He was irate with me for being a Muslim and marrying a white woman.
All my pleas of, “I love the USA”, brought more kicks to my ribs and legs.
I was moved to Washington County Jail in Fayetteville, AR. For two days I was housed with felons.
I was moved again, to an ICE Center in Tensas, Louisiana, kept in solitary confinement for 5 days and then general population for another 5.
Here, I filled out an ICE request form everyday stating, “I want to be sent to Pakistan”, as the other choice was to stay in prison as the ICE officer said, “Till Hell freezes over.”
Again, I was moved, from Tensas, LA to Memphis, TN.
In Memphis an ICE officer gave me 3 blank ICE forms to sign. I was not allowed to read these forms. When I inquired, I was told that signing them was the only way I would be permitted to talk to the embassy.
The next day I called the Pakistani Embassy and convinced them I was born in Pakistan where I had not even visited in over 25 years.
Throughout, I was not allowed to call to anyone. I was repeatedly told that I did not have any rights.
After landing in Pakistan in February 2006, I contacted my wife. This was when she found out where I was.
DHS has still not responded to our FOIA request filed in September 2007.
I continue to suffer with severe PTSD and physical impairments as a result of the torture. I have lived in squalor on the donations of friends from the USA and some people here. Because of my American background, way of thinking and demeanor, I have been the victim of a mock execution among other threats upon my life. I am living in constant fear, pain and anxiety.
My story was published in the largest Pakistani newspaper Dawn
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/American-Rose-fights-for-Pakistani-husband-01-sal-05
Please visit, my blog mmok2k8.blogspot.com and youtube.com/mmok2k8 for more details.
Hasan Ansari
update, 01/05/10
A copy of a letter to The Nation written by Hasan appears in a comment submitted on December 26, 2009. This letter was retracted at my request because I recently noticed what Hasan called "embellishments" of his background prior to the narrative of being tortured by an ICE agent. Hasan had told me that he had a green card and that the ICE agent destroyed it, but that is not true. Hasan entered the country legally but was later ordered removed; he never had a green card. He also told me that he had several degrees that he does not in fact possess.
Hasan said that he included this information because he had not been taken seriously in conveying allegations about his torture at an ICE subfield office in 2006.
Hasan initially contacted me after reading the article about subfield offices in The Nation online; he is in Pakistan and someone in the US brought this to his attention. After obtaining a formal waiver from Hasan, I was quickly able to obtain a copy of his ICE file. The file is highly redacted but the information available is consistent with the information Hasan gave me regarding the details of his arrest, torture, and deportation, including that Hasan was arrested jointly by ICE and an agent from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. Hasan had not seen his file before giving me this information.
I will be following up on his account and will report evidence of torture if this can be verified independent of Hasan's narrative.
I post many accounts of people who are mistreated by ICE agents and to date ICE has not provided evidence that would contradict the information these contain. I of course receive numerous other accounts that I do not pursue because I do not trust the narratives and cannot verify them. Hasan had requested that I remove his comment but in the interests of transparency and for the historical record I am leaving it as is and including this explanation.
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