At least two UW-Madison students studying on visas have been questioned in recent weeks through the U.S. Department of Justice.
The interviews follow the federal government's November release of a list of more than 5,000 young Middle Eastern men currently in the United States on visas, including 100 from Wisconsin. The Justice Department has been inviting the men to interviews in an effort to find information concerning the Sept. 11 attacks.
The UW-Madison students were questioned concerning their Middle Eastern heritage and Muslim faith, according to Sheila Spear, director of the UW-Madison Office of International Student Services.
The Office of International Student Services will hold a briefing Dec. 11 to counsel students with the potential of being questioned as to their rights.
Spear said the university was not involved in the interviews. She added that this type of request is dangerous to refuse.
\It's a request,"" Spears said. ""But not one that you'd be very smart to turn down.""
Spears said that although the university cannot give those at risk legal counseling, the Office of International Student Services has already been in contact with several students who need advice.
The Justice Department has requested that local law enforcement officials carry out the interviews.
A representative of the UW Police and Madison Police Chief Richard K. Williams said they had no knowledge of their departments having conducted the interviews.
Spear said because of the evident racial profiling of those being questioned, local law enforcement officials have already voiced objections to performing them.
""News reports indicated that [the lists were made up] more in the area of racial profiling, ironically most of the first complaints came from the police chiefs who were asked to conduct the interviews,"" Spear said.
Area organizations such as the Madison Area Peace Coalition are taking steps to protect the rights of individuals being questioned.
MAPC member Frank Paynter said the organization has begun contacting both government and police officials regarding the liberties of these individuals.
The letter, Paynter said, expresses concern that the interview process violates the legal rights of the interviewees.
Paynter said MAPC is also depending on the example of several other cities and universities who have turned down the Justice Department's request in hopes of persuading the Madison Police Department to give no cooperation.
""We can be persuasive because a lot of cities in the country such as Detroit, Mich., and Austin, Texas, etc. as well as the University of Michigan have refused to go along with this extra legal stuff,"" Paynter said.
Paynter added, however, that the decision is in the hands of Madison officials.
