Sunday, May 31, 2015
The U.S. Attorney for Minnesota has been criticized and even threatened for investigating suspected terrorists in Somali communities in the Twin Cities. On Saturday, Andrew Luger was applauded for supporting those communities.
“I want to support the work that goes on in this community that is so powerful and so helpful,” Luger said while speaking to a small crowd at the Darul Quba Mosque in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis.
“That’s my only goal.”
Luger and the Department of Justice’s pilot program to combat violent extremism in Minnesota have been criticized by other members of the Muslim community.
The Council on Islamic-American Relations, an organization that has been critical of the program in the past, says it blurs the line between investigations and community outreach.
CAIR-MN held a free legal clinic in St. Paul Saturday morning to educate people about their civil rights.
“A lot of people don't know they have a right to ask for an attorney,” Ellen Longfellow, a civil rights attorney, said.
Longfellow said more Muslims have been seeking legal advice as the U.S. Attorney has launched more investigations into suspected terrorists.
“We have gotten calls from people who have been approached by the FBI who have never been approached by the FBI before,” Longfellow said.
Luger addressed some of the concerns Saturday, saying the pilot program will not be used an investigative tool.
“I’m not going to run your program,” Luger said, adding that he wants to help those programs find the funding and grants they need.