In the weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some 1,200 immigrants were arrested or detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in a search for individuals connected to the deadly assaults on New York City and Washington, D.C. Although nearly all of those picked up were guilty of nothing more than minor visa violations, six months later, 300 non-citizens are believed to still be in federal custody, with an unknown number having been deported or released on bond.

A report recently released by Amnesty International accuses the government of depriving a significant number of these detainees of their basic human rights under U.S. and international law. Amnesty states that many of those detained have been arbitrarily imprisoned in secrecy, without access to an attorney or contact with family members. The human rights group has also expressed concern about the punitive conditions under which these individuals have been held -- including prolonged periods of solitary confinement and heavy shackling.

Amnesty has filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act demanding that the government release detailed information on those being held and has called for an investigation of the conditions these individuals have been subjected to. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director with Amnesty International USA, who questions the government's justification for withholding basic human and civil rights from these persons.

To obtain a copy of the report, call Amnesty International USA at (617) 623-0202 or visit their Web site at www.amnestyusa.org

According to news reports, the Bush administration is laying the groundwork to escalate significant U.S. involvement in Colombia's civil war. The White House is asking Congress to lift all restrictions currently in place on U.S. military aid to Colombia's government. Among the conditions that President Bush wants removed are limits which confine U.S. assistance to counter-narcotics operations; requiring Colombia's Army to abide by human rights standards and a cap on the number of U.S. military personnel allowed in the country. As part of "Plan Colombia," Congress allocated $1.3 billion to Bogota to fight the war on drugs in early 2000, during the Clinton administration.

After the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the Bush administration has consistently labeled Colombia's largest leftist rebel group The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, as a dangerous terrorist organization, generating increased support in Congress for an escalation of U.S. involvement. Since Colombia's president Andres Pastrana broke off talks with FARC in February, the conflict has intensified between the guerilla group, army and right-wing paramilitary units, all accused of gross human rights abuses and participation in the drug trade.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with investigative journalist Al Giordano, publisher of the online magazine Narco News, who takes a critical look at the Bush administration's plan for deeper involvement in Colombia's four-decade-long civil war.

The online magazine, Narco News, can be found on the Internet at www.narconews.com