Justice Dept. Says 'Grace'

(CBS)  Males age 16 and older from 18 countries who may have missed earlier deadlines to register with U.S. immigration authorities will get another chance to do so without fear of penalty, the government announced Thursday.

The decision to provide a grace period, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 7, comes as the Immigration and Naturalization Service expanded the registration program to add men and boys from Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Bangladesh. The post-Sept. 11 program has drawn strenuous protests as too harsh.

Inclusion of the five latest countries in the program will affect thousands more long-term male visitors to the United States, the largest group since the program began last fall, officials said.

The registrations are part of the new National Security Entry and Exit Registration System, which was required by the USA PATRIOT act passed shortly after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The program began by conducting on-the-sport registration at airports, ports and border crossing.

Under the program's second phase, males 16 and older from 25 countries are required to visit local INS offices to be photographed and fingerprinted and show certain documents. Some countries included are considered potential havens for terrorists.

The first, in December, concerned male nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria. The second, with a Jan. 10 deadline, affected men from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The biggest group to this point is the 14,000 men and boys from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who must register by Feb. 21.

Under the expansion announced Thursday, long-term visitors to the United States from Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait and Bangladesh will have from Feb. 24 to March 28 to register at local INS offices. This does not affect U.S. citizens, diplomats, refugees or permanent resident aliens — those holding "green cards."

Most of those required to register are in the United States as students or business travelers or are visiting relatives.

Hundreds of people, mainly Iranians, were detained in Southern California last month when the registration deadline arrived for the first group of visa holders. That prompted angry demonstrations and a lawsuit against the federal government.

Since those detentions, the Justice Department has embarked on a more intensive campaign to justify the program and ensure that affected people get notified. The registration is part of a broader INS plan to set up, by 2005, a comprehensive system detailing who is entering, leaving and staying in the United States.

Immigration lawyers say many people are afraid to come forward, in part because of an INS backlog that can snarl their paperwork and make them vulnerable to deportation if their visas expire while they are awaiting a final outcome of their cases.

"In light of the mass, warrantless arrests, which we believe to be illegal, it is difficult for us to recommend, in good faith, for people to come forward to register," Pete Schey, an attorney for several immigrants in California, said earlier this month.

Immigration advocates also question the program's emphasis on Muslim countries. Of the 25 countries whose nationals will be required to register — including those added Thursday — only one, North Korea, is not predominantly Muslim.

Critics also point out that people residing in the United States for nefarious purposes, such as terrorism, are unlikely to walk into an INS to comply with the law. By targeting law-abiding visitors, the critics say, the program is unlikely to improve national security and could hurt America's image in the Muslim world.

The Justice Department counters that many European countries operate similar registration programs.

INS officials believe fear, lack of knowledge about the program and the large crowds might have prevented many from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria from registering. The INS will open a grace period from Jan. 27 to Feb. 7 for men and boys who missed the first registration deadline, Bush administration officials said.