Wrong Turn In America

This is the story of Abdel Kewan, an Egyptian house-painter and handyman who had been working in America for over six years.

One morning he stopped at the gates of a Marine base to ask directions after he had missed a turn on his way to paint a house.

After a thorough examination of his vehicle and checking his papers, the courteous Marines sent him on his way with better directions, but two weeks later he was suddenly arrested and placed in a jail cell where he has remained for over a year pending deportation.

Someone in Washington had determined that Kewan was a national security risk.

Abdel Kewan has been caught up in the ever-expnding and arbitrary dragnet for Middle Eastern men that since 9/11 has placed even completely innocent people in danger of a lengthy detention without a fair trial or due process.

Producer: John Odam; Writer: Lawrence Ludlow