Young and Arrested

These days, arresting sixteen-year-old Muslim girls as would-be suicide bombers passes for homeland security. On March 24, two such girls--one born in Bangladesh, the other in Guinea, and both illegal immigrants who'd lived in New York virtually their entire lives--were detained on immigration violations and shipped to a detention center in Leesport, Pennsylvania. According to a government document obtained by the New York Times, the FBI claims the girls present "an imminent threat to the security of the United States based upon evidence that they plan to be suicide bombers."

Following a disturbing post-9/11 trend, no evidence has been offered to prove the bureau's claim. And, judging from law enforcement officials quoted in the New York Post, there probably isn't any: "The arrests took place after authorities decided it would be better to lock up the girls than wait and see if they decided to become terrorists willing to die for a cause." Does the Bush Administration's policy of pre-emption now apply domestically as well?

In the strange world of immigration law, detention is indefinite and "the burden is on the girls to prove that they are not potential suicide bombers, rather than on the government to prove they are," the Times writes. Government officials in Washington and New York quoted anonymously in the Times doubt the validity of the government's claims. A closed bond hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

In the meantime, the girls' shocked families and friends are realizing just how far off the rocker America's antiterrorist policies have fallen. The Bangladeshi girl, whose identity has been protected, is described by those close to her as religiously devout but politically moderate. "We talked about what was going on in Palestine, suicide bombings, and I know she's completely against it," says a 17-year-old friend. The girl from Guinea was well-liked and socially integrated at Heritage high school in East Harlem. "She's about the last person anyone could imagine being a suicide bomber," her English teacher says.

At this point, it's unclear whether the girls even knew each other before the arrests. The FBI maintains they attended the same fundamentalist mosque. But the Bangladeshi girl's mother says they met for the first time at the immigration center in lower Manhattan, right before the transfer to Pennsylvania. What began as a routine visit to the Bangladeshi household by two detectives in early March quickly transformed into a national security emergency two weeks later. Neither girl has a lawyer. Both could be deported--or worse, secretly convicted--at any time.

"They've been arrested on immigration violations," a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman finally told the New York Post. "Because they're minors, we can't say anything else." Thus far, that hasn't stopped the government from trampling on their rights. Being young and Muslim may be their only offense.

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