It continues...

[asheris]

From the AP newswire:

Published Sep 18 2001

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Immigration and Naturalization Service has changed its rules to aid the terror attacks investigation by increasing the time an immigrant can be held without being charged.

INS Commissioner James Ziglar signed an order authorizing the change requested by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

"The regulation previously allowed the Immigration and Naturalization Service only 24 hours in which to decide whether to charge an alien that had been taken into custody because of a violation," Ashcroft said Tuesday. "The revision announced last night expands the 24-hour time period to 48 hours, or to an additional reasonable time, if necessary, under an emergency, or in other extraordinary circumstances."

Ashcroft did not specify what would constitute an emergency or extraordinary circumstance but said the rule change will apply to 75 people detained by the INS on immigration violations as part of the investigation into last Tuesday twin terror attacks.

The change gives investigators more time to verify identities, check international databases and other record systems and exchange information with U.S. and international law enforcement agencies.

Because the rule is an administrative regulation, Ziglar had the authority to change it without authorization from Congress. The change is interim and must go through a 60-day public comment process.

On the Net: Immigration and Naturalization Service: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/index.htm

(To clarify, from the INS glossary: Alien - Any person not a citizen or national of the United States. So anyone you know who has a green card or an H1-B visa is an alien, and vulnerable to this change in regulations.)