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Article: Samoa Alters Rule in Bias Controversy
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 20, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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American Samoa, an isolated U.S. territory in the South Pacific,
hastily revised a five-month-old security order yesterday that had
angered Arab American groups and U.S. lawmakers with an immigration
ban on travelers of "Middle Eastern descent."
After discussions with officials at the Interior Department, which
oversees U.S. territories, American Samoa Attorney General Fiti Sunia
issued an alert that bans entry permits for citizens of 24 countries,
most in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, without special
permission from Samoan authorities.
The list includes countries designated by the U.S. State
Department as sponsors of terrorism, such as Iraq and Iran, as well
as Asian countries such ...