Gestapo Tactics in Moscow, Idaho

Travis Morales

Revolutionary Worker #1206, July 6, 2003, posted at rwor.org

In March of this year, the FBI carried out a raid on students at the University of Idaho campus in Moscow. I received an email written by a professor at the U. of I. College of Law describing the raid. She wrote:

"Yesterday was an exciting day in my small town. The FBI flew in 120 agents, fully armed in riot gear...to Moscow, Idaho to arrest one Saudi graduate student for visa fraud. The raid went down in the University of Idaho student housing at 4:30 in the morning, terrorizing not only the suspect's family but also the families of neighboring students.... At least 20 other students who had the misfortune to either know the suspect or to have some minor immigration irregularities were also subjected to substantial, surprise interrogations (4 plus hours) although none were detained or arrested yesterday. Now, however, a witchhunt is on for additional unnamed suspects who supposedly helped the guy who was arrested. The INS and FBI are working together, using gestapo tactics to question the students--threatening their immigration status, and hence their education, if they don't answer questions which are really aimed at the criminal investigation. They have also threatened their partners and spouses with perjury charges if they don't talk....

"Reading about this stuff is one thing. Having it happen in your backyard is another. The international students at the University of Idaho are terrorized and threatened."


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