Tensions Occur Between Canada and U.S. over U.S. Scrutiny of Canadians of Middle Eastern Descent

Tensions have risen between Canada and the U.S. due to new U.S. security regulations requiring fingerprinting and interrogating of Canadians born in several Middle Eastern countries and several incidents, including U.S. deportation of Canadian nationals to their countries of origin rather than to Canada. The registration program is one of the efforts started after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to better screen foreign visitors. Mr. Arar migrated with his parents to Canada 15 years ago and obtained a bachelor?s degree in computer engineering from McGill University. On September 26, 2002, Mr. Arar arrived at Kennedy International Airport, intending to change planes to Montreal. However, U.S. authorities detained Mr. Arar and he was interrogated and jailed at the Metropolitan Correction Center in Brooklyn. At a hearing an Immigration and Naturalization Services document claimed he was a member of Al Qaeda. The Canadian Government protested Mr. Arar?s deportation. Canada has also complained about U.S. counter-terrorism measures that require the U.S. to fingerprint and photograph foreign nationals, including Canadians who were born in Syria, Libya, Sudan, Iraq or Iran upon their arrival in the U.S. Another incident is the decision by Canadian novelist Robhinton Mistry to discontinue his U.S. book tour halfway through due to allegedly racist, rude, and humiliating treatment to U.S. airports. Mr. Mistry said U.S. airport officials continually took him aside for scrutiny, questions, luggage dissection and shoe examinations.