Arab American Institute: Discriminatory Samoan Policy Would Ban Arab Americans

12/18/2002

From: Jenny Salan of Arab American Institute 202-429-9210; e-mail: jsalan@aaiusa.org

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Under current American Samoan policy, Arab Americans including Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Senator-Elect John Sununu are banned from entering the island. On Aug. 7, American Samoan Attorney General Fiti Sunia issued an alert denying entrance to all persons of "Middle Eastern descent." Once more, the Attorney General cited the U.S. State Department as the cause of this discriminatory policy. The alert states, "because of reports from the U.S. State Department, until further notice or written approval from the Attorney General, American Samoa will no longer issue entry permits to any individual of Middle Eastern Descent." The discriminatory policy came to light after the Samoa News reported that a Samoan citizen of Middle Eastern descent filed a lawsuit to force a repeal of the policy.

The Samoan alert goes further, institutionalizing and outlining the manner in which ethnic profiling should be used in order to keep all persons of Middle Eastern descent, regardless of nationality, from entering the island. It orders officials to "take special note of arriving passengers and all other individuals seeking entry to the territory for persons with middle eastern surnames and features."

AAI has written to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asking for an immediate investigation. AAI has also written to Interior Secretary Gayle Norton and to Samoan Attorney General Sunia asking for the repeal of this offensive regulation.

"American Samoa is an unincorporated U.S. territory and to think that they can violate U.S. law this way is outrageous! This is a blatantly bigoted policy and one that should not be allowed to stand. Attorney General Sunia should apologize," said AAI President Dr. James J. Zogby.

For text of the letters to the Department of Justice, Secretary Norton and A.G. Sunia contact: Jennifer Salan at (202) 429-9210 or jsalan@aaiusa.org.

Founded in 1985, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a nonprofit organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent. AAI provides policy, research and public affairs services to support a broad range of community activities.