Patriot Acts
Documentary | trt 60 min
2004
Patriot Acts explores the human cost of the Bush Administration's
controversial National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS,
also know as “Special Registration”). Instituted a year after 9/11, NSEERS
facilitated the agenda embodied by the USA PATRIOT Act by requiring non-immigrant
males, 16 and older, from predominantly Muslim countries to register with
the Department of Homeland Security.
Patriot Acts penetrates into the heart of a predominantly
Pakistani and Indian community on Chicago's North Side and tells the
stories of two men: Tariq Moti, a dancer detained twice by immigration
authorities after 9/11, and Mohammad Tariq, a father who came to the United
States in search of medical care for his two blind children. Realizing
they were witnessing an historical event firsthand, the filmmakers followed
Mr. Moti and Mr. Tariq as the two men navigated a maze of controversial
immigration regulations while under the constant threat of arrest, detention,
and deportation.
Set
in March 2003, on the eve of the U.S. invasion of
Iraq, this timely documentary captures the turmoil
and confusion of a moment during the U.S. Government's
'war on terror' when basic civil liberties were sacrificed
at the altar of a false security. As the deadline date
for registration approached, hard choices were made.
Not everyone chose to register. Some fled to Canada, some
returned to Pakistan and some went underground for fear
of being detained and deported. In December 2003, the Department
of Homeland Security suspended Special Registration while
denying accusations of racial or religious profiling. Ultimately,
over 83,000 men from 25 predominantly Muslim countries registered.
None were charged as terrorists.
Patriot Acts features Chicago immigration
lawyer Christopher Helt, human-rights activist
Sister Dorothy Pagosa of the 8th-Day Center for Justice,
Pakistani community talk-show host Dr. Mujahid Ghazi and journalist
Salman Aftab as well as the Department of Homeland Security
community workshop. The soundtrack was created by Funkadesi,
Chicago's own internationally acclaimed band.
Screenings | Reviews
Co-produced by BulletProof Film Inc.
Interview with director Sree Nallamothu
(WBEZ Chicago Public Radio
Eight Forty-Eight, with Steve Edwards
Aired March 26, 2004)