Ridge announced the "Liberty Shield" national plan

WASHINGTON, March 19 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The new policy announced by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge Tuesday, March 18, on the indefinite detention of certain groups of legal asylum seekers in the United States drew fire from human rights organizations and Islamic bodies.

The policy is part of "Liberty Shield," a national plan allegedly designed to "increase protections for America's citizens and infrastructure."

The part of Liberty Shield relating to asylum seekers states that "Asylum applicants from nations where al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda sympathizers, and other terrorist groups are known to have operated will be detained for the duration of their processing period.

"This reasonable and prudent temporary action allows authorities to maintain contact with asylum seekers while we determine the validity of their claim. DHS and the Department of State will coordinate exceptions to this policy."

The Independent quoted U.S. department officials as saying the policy would affect citizens of more than 30 countries, including Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The British paper said human rights organizations attacked the measure and branded it as "irrational" and "ridiculous" since those wishing to do harm against the U.S. would not "voluntarily expose themselves by applying for asylum."

"In a country founded by immigrants, it carried unfortunate historical echoes of the mass internment of Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor," said the Independent.

In a related development, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) asked the Department of Homeland Security to clarify the new government policy.

CAIR stressed that "this policy announcement raises several important legal and moral questions.

"Will all asylum seekers who are in this country legally now be detained indefinitely? Will their families, including children, be detained as well? Will only Muslim and Arab asylum seekers be detained? If this policy only applies to new asylum applicants, will it result in the elimination of asylum requests from Muslim countries?

"These are questions that must be answered before the policy can be implemented without violating long-standing American values of equal justice and openness to those fleeing oppression," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, in a communiqué issued by the organization.

Awad said the policy is eerily similar to Australia's "Pacific Solution" program, which relegated seaborne asylum seekers to impoverished Pacific islands while their claims were processed.

That policy has been widely condemned by human rights groups.

On Tuesday, the FBI said it was working around the clock to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States.

"We have thousands of people working long hours, day and night, weekends, to do everything possible to prevent the actions of terrorists," said Jon Pistole, of the FBI's counter-intelligence unit.

Earlier, Ridge told Americans to prepare for potential attacks both at home and abroad as war with Iraq appeared imminent.

Pistole told a Senate panel he was concerned about "what Iraqi intelligence officers or those sympathetic to the regime, what they may try to do in enlisting sympathetic groups."

"We have some intelligence about these sympathizers and other individuals and groups who have indicated an interest in taking acts against the United States in case of hostilities," he claimed.

He declined to go into any details regarding the intelligence.

Pistole said that priorities for the FBI included the identification of al-Qaeda or other terrorist sleeper cells in the United States; the prevention of state sponsors of terrorism from committing any acts here; the identification of "lone offenders" who might sympathize with Iraq or the al-Qaeda network; and the monitoring of fund-raising or recruiting efforts for possible attacks.

He said the bureau was "well positioned" to detect if any such individuals were moving from the "talking stage to an actual operating stage."