MORE than 200,000 Pakistanis are being affected by the new immigration law in US and it is fear that a large number of them might be deported to homeland under the law in coming months, it is learnt.

Pakistan is one of the thirteen nations of the world, those are being affected by the America’s drive to counter illegal immigration, regularise the status of those already there with the option of expulsion, and scrutinise new arrivals from Muslim countries falling within a certain age bracket.

According to reliable sources, future of most of the people now under threat are those who are over staying or illegal entrants and failed to take advantage of amnesty offered by the Clinton administration. Most of them live in New Jersey, New York and Chicago areas. A large number of them are working for a very low-payment of wages at filling stations, hotels or small stores. Most of them have their cases for extension of stay pending with the US immigration authorities.

There are thousands of illegal Pakistanis in the United States who never cared to apply for any kind of regularisation even when such opportunities arose and now, American officials declared their future as ‘bleak’.

Another category of Pakistani expatriates in US is of those who have applied for a work permit. Majority of them arrived there as visitors but got job and were permitted to accept employment for a specific period and in many cases, they have been allowed extensions. Where extension is denied, they can either offer to leave voluntarily or they are repatriated at US government expense. The immigration officials encourage those ordered to leave the United States to opt for the first course, since it cost the US government nothing and it keeps the dignity of the person deported intact.

Third category is constituted by those who came initially to meet members of their families already living there but are now unwilling to leave and seek a change in their status from visitor to immigrant. Some applications have been approved but the majority is unlikely to have similar luck. Many young people who came on student visas and decide to stay back and seek work or an extension of their stay are also now among those who are required to come within the ambit of the law.

The sources said, the future prospects for all the categories of cases outlined above are “uncertain” as the US immigration authorities and the new Department of Homeland Security are determined to end illegal immigration, with a special focus on Muslim countries. Several hundred Indian Muslims and Sikhs have also been detained in the wake of 9/11. As for Pakistanis, all in all between 800 and 1,000 were arrested after 9/11. Three planeloads of these people have been deported already with the cooperation of the embassy of Pakistan and it is feared that a large number of them would be deported in coming weeks. None of those deported were found connected with terrorism.

A number of Pakistani community leaders in New York, Washington and New Jersey have launched campaign against the new immigration law and even Pakistani embassy in US is cooperating with them but failed so far.

On other hand, the FBI has asked American colleges to give personal information about foreign students and staff to help prevent terrorist attacks.

Hundreds of universities have received letters in the last few weeks asking the “names, addresses, telephone numbers, citizenship information, places of birth, dates of birth and any foreign contact information” for foreign staff and students.

Some of the letters received here from a number of Pakistani students living in US also confirmed such FBI activities. Although, the FBI declared the request as strictly voluntary but the sources said that the agency has started to collect the information, even several colleges have refused to cooperate in this regard.

“Some of the students were disturbed during their study and have been chased by security’s agents,” the sources revealed.