• Employment for the Indian-American Community


• Housing for the Indian-American Community


• Education for the Indian-American Community


• Voting for the Indian-American Community


• Federal Hate Crimes


• Law Enforcement for the Indian-American Community


• Dialogue and Conflict Resolution assisting the Indian-American Community


• Profiling by the Police and other Government Departments

• Immigration Policies for the Indian-American Community


• Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Indian-American Community


• Deportations


• Redress for Border and Airport Security Delays


• Respecting civic liberties of the Indian-American community


• Other issues concerning the Indian American Community

Briefing by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

19 March 2010, 3:00 PM

Room 121, Cannon House Office Building

Office of Civil Rights Division (DOJ and DHS), Office of Public Engagement (USCIS), Community Relation Service (DOJ), Outreach (ICE) composed the panel for the briefing. There were a total of 6 members and one moderator. The briefing was structured as follows: each member of the panel introduced themselves and provided a short explanation of their particular area of expertise and its relevance to the Indian-American community. After this, the floor was opened to questions. One point on which all the panelists agreed is that they genuinely want more feedback and information from different ethnic communities, including the Indian-American community. Also, it was pointed out that both the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security fall under the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch, and that any major changes in policy will need to begin with members of Congress.


This is a selection of key points discussed during this meeting.

• The Community Relation Service is part of the Civil Rights Division within DOJ, responsible for mediating conflicts caused by racial or ethnic tensions. Although not a law enforcement body, they are responsible for educating law enforcement officials and for serving as a liaison between law enforcement and different communities.


• The Civil Rights Division (DOJ) is responsible for the law enforcement side of racial/ethnic conflict resolution.


• The National Origin Discrimination Workgroup within the Civil Rights Division has been recently reconstituted under the Obama Administration and Assistant Attorney General Tom Perez.


• The official channel through which individuals make complaints is the Civil Rights Division, which will then open up an investigation; however, there is no way to estimate how long it will take to resolve in court.
  
  
  
  • For instance, one case in Eastern Kentucky was resolved within several months. Another case in New York City was filed in 2004 and is still pending in 2010.
  
  
  • These cases have the same statute of limitations as those filed under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
  
  
  
  


• The Community Relation Service, since they are not an enforcement agency, can move quicker although they will serve exclusively as mediator and liaison.


• All of these agencies offer training programs specifically focused on groups targeted after the attacks of September 11 2001.
  
  

• The Department of Homeland Security is a policy office, not an enforcement office; it can offer training, information, and mediation.


• The number one complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security deals with the conditions of detention for travelers stopped at airports. The number two complaint is racial profiling by airport employees.


• Citizenship and Immigration Services has a new director as of July 2009, who created the Office of Public Engagement. This office is primarily concerned with community outreach.


• Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a separate agency comprised of 20,000 workers, an amalgamation of Immigration and Naturalization Services and US Customs. They do not presently have a specific division for community outreach on a national level, but they co-ordinate with local authorities.


• Reform of detention policies is beginning even before the Obama Administration has begun putting together comprehensive immigration reform.
  
  
  
  • Among these reforms is an online system through which specific individuals in detainment facilities can be easily located.
  
  
  
  


• Comprehensive immigration reform legislation will include changes to the quota system for visas, as the present system has been in place since the 1950s.


• In light of the recent TSA Directive (January 2010), all flights destined for the United States have increased security screening, regardless of origin. Fourteen specific countries are under particularly close watch, but all flights will have increased security measures.

USINPAC would like to thank all the panelists for taking the time to address our community's concerns.