Justice Dept. Letter Preyed on Immigrants

To the editors:

I enjoyed reading The Crimson’s editorial on the decision of U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Collins (“Michigan’s Mailing Mistake,” Nov. 29).

However, it is crucial to note that the letter neglected to inform its recipients that they are entitled to have a lawyer present at their interview and they can be turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for visa violations. While it is unclear if this is an example of negligence or an attempt to ensnare vulnerable immigrants, it is another example of the government’s lack of responsibility in its ongoing terrorist investigations.

From the Bush administration’s insistence that this is a time of war, despite the absence of a Congressional declaration, from which the power to conduct military tribunals is apparently derived to its outright abandonment of Attorney General John Ashcroft’s promise to stop racial profiling it is clear that the Bush administration is willing to distort reality to perpetuate its narrow political vision. A vision of exclusivity, corporate welfare and stifled dissent that is wholly antithetical to this nation’s spirit.

Zac Peskowitz

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Nov. 30, 2001