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CNN Live At Daybreak

Inside Muslim America: Pakistanis Fleeing Country

Aired January 30, 2003 - 05:35   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now our look at "Inside Muslim America." Part one of our series is on Pakistanis fleeing the country.
As CNN's Maria Hinojosa reports, the exodus comes as Washington seems to be taking a closer look at Pakistanis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's dark at 6:00 a.m. and a frigid five below zero at the U.S.-Canadian border, where this group of Pakistanis is on the run. But unlike many immigrants, they are braving the elements not to seek refuge in America, but from America. They've packed their life's belongings in plastic bags and rollaway luggage, left behind places where they had lived most of their lives, had families, jobs, homes, even green cards.

(on camera): This freezing, lonely outpost on the U.S.-Canadian border used to see about 100 Pakistani immigrants each year. But just in the past month, already 200 have passed through here.

How many of you felt that you were scared to continue living in the United States?

(voice-over): It all began in mid-December, when the U.S. added Pakistanis to the list of those who must register with the INS.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you working illegally?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I just...

HINOJOSA: People began to panic.

(on camera): You didn't want to register?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA: You didn't want to register?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one wanted to register.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no one wanted to register, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they would deport to our country, you know?

HINOJOSA: Because they would send you back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Pakistanis have showed up at a shelter near the Canadian border in Buffalo, New York. The shelter was meant for Latin American refugees. But 300 Pakistanis have arrived since the government announcement and they keep coming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Pakistanis are very afraid of being deported to their country. They're afraid of being put in detention for an indeterminate amount of time and not being able to get out. They're afraid of being separated from their families.

HINOJOSA: The Canadian government insists there's only a slight increase in Pakistanis at some border crossings. In Montreal, though, the YMCA is jammed with more than 300 who used to live in Brooklyn, Long Island, Milwaukee and Maryland.

(on camera): So you guys were living in New York thinking that at any time...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would deport us.

HINOJOSA: They would deport you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deport us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA: They can...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or send us to jail.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): The U.S. government has said the registrations are not aimed at deporting legitimate visitors. But the Pakistanis at this border station said they've heard too many stories of long detentions. Even on the Canadian side, some still hide their faces. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't care. If somebody has a green card, if somebody has a passport, if somebody just called them, this guy does not look like good, I mean they just became up no matter what, he disappeared, two months, three months, six months, one year. That's it.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): And a fear of the government isn't enough. Some Pakistanis say America has become so unfriendly since September 11 that they would rather seek refuge elsewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Muslim, basically, the thing is this. And the things are not the same way that they used to be. And I am from Pakistan. People think I'm from like Afghanistan or some stuff like that. So, they don't respect us.

HINOJOSA: Still, these Pakistanis are sad to leave America behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was in my senior year in high school and I was going to graduate in four months and I had to come over here and leave my school and everything. So it's, it messed up everything.

HINOJOSA: Everything new and unknown in the lives of these former Pakistani-Americans.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, on the U.S.-Canadian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 30, 2003 - 05:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now our look at "Inside Muslim America." Part one of our series is on Pakistanis fleeing the country.
As CNN's Maria Hinojosa reports, the exodus comes as Washington seems to be taking a closer look at Pakistanis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's dark at 6:00 a.m. and a frigid five below zero at the U.S.-Canadian border, where this group of Pakistanis is on the run. But unlike many immigrants, they are braving the elements not to seek refuge in America, but from America. They've packed their life's belongings in plastic bags and rollaway luggage, left behind places where they had lived most of their lives, had families, jobs, homes, even green cards.

(on camera): This freezing, lonely outpost on the U.S.-Canadian border used to see about 100 Pakistani immigrants each year. But just in the past month, already 200 have passed through here.

How many of you felt that you were scared to continue living in the United States?

(voice-over): It all began in mid-December, when the U.S. added Pakistanis to the list of those who must register with the INS.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you working illegally?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I just...

HINOJOSA: People began to panic.

(on camera): You didn't want to register?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA: You didn't want to register?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one wanted to register.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no one wanted to register, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because they would deport to our country, you know?

HINOJOSA: Because they would send you back?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): Pakistanis have showed up at a shelter near the Canadian border in Buffalo, New York. The shelter was meant for Latin American refugees. But 300 Pakistanis have arrived since the government announcement and they keep coming.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Pakistanis are very afraid of being deported to their country. They're afraid of being put in detention for an indeterminate amount of time and not being able to get out. They're afraid of being separated from their families.

HINOJOSA: The Canadian government insists there's only a slight increase in Pakistanis at some border crossings. In Montreal, though, the YMCA is jammed with more than 300 who used to live in Brooklyn, Long Island, Milwaukee and Maryland.

(on camera): So you guys were living in New York thinking that at any time...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would deport us.

HINOJOSA: They would deport you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deport us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HINOJOSA: They can...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or send us to jail.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): The U.S. government has said the registrations are not aimed at deporting legitimate visitors. But the Pakistanis at this border station said they've heard too many stories of long detentions. Even on the Canadian side, some still hide their faces. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't care. If somebody has a green card, if somebody has a passport, if somebody just called them, this guy does not look like good, I mean they just became up no matter what, he disappeared, two months, three months, six months, one year. That's it.

HINOJOSA (voice-over): And a fear of the government isn't enough. Some Pakistanis say America has become so unfriendly since September 11 that they would rather seek refuge elsewhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a Muslim, basically, the thing is this. And the things are not the same way that they used to be. And I am from Pakistan. People think I'm from like Afghanistan or some stuff like that. So, they don't respect us.

HINOJOSA: Still, these Pakistanis are sad to leave America behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was in my senior year in high school and I was going to graduate in four months and I had to come over here and leave my school and everything. So it's, it messed up everything.

HINOJOSA: Everything new and unknown in the lives of these former Pakistani-Americans.

Maria Hinojosa, CNN, on the U.S.-Canadian border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com