TIA LESSIN (PRODUCER): Time has run out for Uzma Naheed. Under threat of deportation, she and her children have to leave the U.S. – without her husband. She doesn't know when she'll see him again.

LESSIN: He's behind bars in a federal prison in New York City — detained nearly six months ago by the FBI after the September 11th attacks.

LESSIN: Forty-two year old Anser Mehmood arrived in the United States in 1989 on a tourist visa. He decided to stay and build a life here, like millions of other immigrants. He worked as a cab driver and brought his wife and three sons over from Pakistan. The couple bought a house in Bayonne, New Jersey—just outside of New York City—and enrolled their boys in the middle school across the street. A fourth son was born. Though they were not citizens, they considered themselves Americans.

UZMA NAHEED: Before September 11th, I never feel in this country that I am immigrant. Really! Nobody discriminate here. Nobody's treating us badly. Nobody's and, oftenly I said to my husband I said this is the only reason why I was here – because I feel like I'm in the, in my country.

LESSIN: After September 11th, federal agents rounded up over a thousand men of Middle Eastern and South Asian origin living in the United States. The vast majority were charged — not with terrorist acts — but with minor immigration violations.

JOHN ASHCROFT (FROM VIDEOTAPE): The Department of Justice is waging a deliberate campaign of arrest and detention to protect American lives. We are removing suspected terrorists who violate the law from our streets to prevent further terrorist attack.

LESSIN: The FBI learned that Anser Mehmood was a truck driver, licensed to haul hazardous materials. And an agent reported that it was suspicious that on the morning of the attack on the Pentagon, Mehmood refused to drive two shipments to Washington, D.C. The FBI also found that he had two identical passports, both in his name.

LESSIN: Following a lead from another case, a dozen FBI agents showed up at Anser and Uzma's home on October 3rd.

UZMA: When the FBI agents came I welcomed them, and I say, "OK you can search my house because we don't have anything wrong, we did not do anything wrong in this country. We love this country, we respect the law." There is no worry about it.

LESSIN: They discovered that Mehmood had overstayed his tourist visa and had no work permit. They took him into custody.

UZMA: When they arrest my husband I was crying and begging them, "please let me know where is my husband, please help me" and they said "why you came here, why you came in this country?"

LESSIN: What did you see?

DOROTHY GIAMBRONE, NEIGHBOR: I just saw the FBI going in there.

LOUIS GIAMBRONE: There was a gang of them. About twelve. They searched the house up. I don't think they came out with anything.

DOROTHY GIAMBRONE: What we knew of him, he was like a lovable husband with his children and all.

LOUIS GIAMBRONE: They were so happy to be near the school right across the street his children attended that school.

DOROTHY GIAMBRONE: Two days before that she was walking here with her husband, and everything then all of a sudden I seen that happened I said it goes to show that in one day how your life can really turn around.

MARTIN STOLAR, ANSER MEHMOOD'S ATTORNEY: He went into INS custody and was charged with overstaying a visa —a fairly low-level and very common violation of the immigration law.

He is held without a bond on a very specious affidavit put in by an FBI agent. And put in the special housing unit otherwise known as 'The Hole'. It's solitary confinement he's locked down 23 and a half hours a day. He's fed through a slot in the door. And it's just abominable conditions.

LESSIN: In a report issued this week, Amnesty International said the conditions under which detainees like Anser Mehmood are being held constitutes "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of international standards."

The report also raised concerns that "the immigration system is being used to hold non-nationals on flimsy evidence pending broad criminal probes."

Under new rules, Immigration and Naturalization Service detainees can be denied bail and held indefinitely if deemed a national security threat. I showed a former FBI official the affidavit used to keep Mehmood in jail.

BOB BLITZER, FORMER FBI COUNTER-TERRORISM CHIEF: We have a foreign national here out of status. He has multiple passports. He has been licensed to drive large vehicles, he has also has a hazardous materials license. I think all of those things drawn together would make an investigator say, "What have we got here?"

MARTIN STOLAR: What's suspicious? He's a Muslim and he has a hazardous materials license. Well, of course he has a hazardous materials license —- that's his business. Most truck drivers have hazardous material licenses. He had two passports—both in his own name, both legitimate Pakistani passports. There's something suspicious about that. The problem was that he lost the first passport, so he went and got a second one, and then he found the one he'd lost. This guy who's a law-abiding—except for the fact that he overstayed a visa. He paid his taxes. He supports his family. He's totally unconnected with September 11th.

BOB BLITZER: It maybe he, like many other illegals, came here to — to seek a life and — get employment and raise his family. Okay. That — that could be. But—you know — just to reemphasize, this is a technique that they use to blend in to our society. He may be clean as the driven snow. But still, why take a chance.

UZAIR MEHMOOD, 13 YEARS OLD: I feel angry because my dad has not done anything wrong. They've been doing this investigation for four months. They haven't even called here yet. I bet you they're not even doing the investigation.

UZAIR: You should go see where he lives. A cell. Do you know how small the windows are? Like this small. You can't look outside.

HARRIS, 11 YEARS OLD: It's been a long time, still didn't meet my dad. Should have the right at least to meet your dad.

UZMA(READING LETTER FROM ANSER): My dearest ...

LESSIN: The boys haven't seen their father for months. They receive letters from him every day.

UZMA (READING LETTER): I am missing you a lot, which you can not imagine. They put me in a very, very small cell where I have to wait until FBI completes its investigation. Since I am innocent, I don't have any problem with this investigation, only when I think about you and kids, trust me, I start crying.

LESSIN: When she tried to visit her husband, Uzma was repeatedly turned away by authorities. Finally, after three months, she was allowed in.

LESSIN: No criminal charges had been filed against Mehmood, and I wanted to know why he remained behind bars several months after his arrest. But Justice Department officials refused to discuss his case or to appear in this segment. They also denied my request to interview Mehmood in jail.

ANSWERING MACHINE RECORDING: Hi Tia, Lauren Fieffer from the Department of Justice. Wanted to let you know that we are definitely not putting anybody on camera about the detainees and cannot speak at all about the specific cases involved. So sorry we can't help you out. Thanks, bye.

LESSIN: And what about that charge that Anser Mehmood had refused to deliver a shipment to Washington on the morning of September 11th? I called the trucking company that employed Mehmood. They confirmed that he was to deliver a load to D.C. that day, but that the company canceled it after the Pentagon was hit. And the company told me that the load was not hazardous material, but office furniture — to be delivered to an architecture firm located in this D.C. office building.

I also found out that Mehmood's employer required all its drivers to have hazmat licenses and that Mehmood never drove hazardous cargo for the company.

BOB BLITZER: Furniture, electronic parts, pretty standard stuff.

BOB BLITZER: I think there's a lot of smoke concerning this fella. But whether there's any — whether there's any fire, I mean, I don't know. Time will tell.

MARTIN STOLAR: The presumption of innocence has been completely turned on its head with respect to him. Because he's a Muslim, because he's from Pakistan, it is presumed that he must be involved in terrorist activities.

BOB BLITZER: I don't think law enforcement is going after every illegal person in this country...but they're certainly concerned about the same kind of people that we saw on September 11th. Arresting them before they might commit a crime is — is really the prudent thing to do.

MARTIN STOLAR: The equal protection clause of our Constitution has been suspended for Muslims. It is racial profiling of the worst order. And equal protection says you do not racially profile. That is not a legitimate basis to arrest people.

LESSIN: Unable to pay her mortgage in the months since her husband's arrest, Uzma has put her house up for sale.

The bank has filed for foreclosure. She has sold her possessions to pay for food and utilities.

UZMA: I sold my sofas, my living room set and three bedroom sets and my refrigerator and my oven, even I sold my crockery too.

MARTIN STOLAR: Oh, his family has been completely devastated. I mean, the only positive thing that's come out of this is that Anser told me that—that his wife Uzma was basically a very quiet housewife before this happened. She has had to assume the role now of a very outspoken woman, almost a political activist.

LESSIN: Every Saturday, Uzma joins a demonstration for detainees in front of the prison where her husband is being held.

LESSIN: According to his attorney, the FBI recently cleared Mehmood of any connection to the September 11th attacks. Mehmood has agreed to return to Pakistan but like hundreds of other detainees, waits indefinitely behind bars for deportation. No longer in maximum security, he's allowed 15 minute phone calls to his family.

UMAIR: Hello?

OPERATOR: This call is from a federal prison. This call is from Anser. To accept the call, dial 5 now.

LESSIN: Mehmood had called the night before, but his sons weren't home.

UZMA: —Hello, how are you?

—I'm alright.

UZMA: —Hallo.

ANSER: —Salaamalekum

—All right.

—How are you?

UZMA: How are you feeling?

ANSER: I'm fine, thanks to God.

ANSER: So what happened yesterday. Why did you stay outside?

HARRIS: Why did I stay outside, cuz there was problem.

ANSER: I don't want to hear any problem, I want to see you home before dark. That's it.

HARRIS: OK.

ANSER: OK.

UMAIR: Don't worry anymore, we're not going to go outside after dark.

ANSER: Sure?

UMAIR: Yeah.

ANSER: Promise.

UMAIR: Yeah.

ANSER: OK you are doing a good job, you are a brave guy. You're doing a good job.

UMAIR: We're gonna come see you again. Inshallah God Willing

ANSER: Inshallah.

UZAIR: (Urdu): How do you use the bathroom?

ANSER: (Urdu) The toilet is in my cell where I sleep.

ANSER: (Urdu) In the place where I was for four months and two days, the toilet and shower were in the same room.

UZMA: (Urdu) There are just a few days left next week and the week after that, God willing.

UZMA: Don't fight!

ANSER: (Urdu) I've told them to behave and they won't stay out after dark anymore.

UZMA: (Urdu) If you were here they would behave. Don't be angry with them.

ANSER: I hope that we will move from here back to Pakistan also very soon. The thing is, I always want to take care of you…

UZMA: Hello, hello...It's over...

LESSIN: Within a month of her husband's arrest, the Immigration and Naturalization Service initiated deportation proceedings against Uzma and her three older sons. They have overstayed their visas, like nearly four million others. The only family member legally entitled to stay is the toddler Hassan who is an American citizen because he was born here.

HARRIS: People out on the streets call us terrorists. Uh huh your dad's a terrorist, uh hu, uh, huh. That doesn't sound right.

UMAIR: I do everything they do. Go to school, wake up, wear the same clothes and stuff. I'm an American.

UMAIR: I want to visit there, I don't want to stay over there for like a while. I want to come back here.

LESSIN: With the help of an Islamic charity, Uzma has purchased one-way tickets back to Karachi for her family.

BOYS: What's class Y? It's all the way in the back!

UZMA: My kids are used to this life. It's not easy for them to go back. They start their education here now and it's difficult for them to start over in Pakistan. Their education, everything will be ruined. You know? It, it will take time to — get everything back.

UZMA: At first I was thinking that maybe he will deport day before myself and he will reach there before me so he can welcome us there. But now as the time passed, I think that — he — maybe he — they will not release him soon. I hope Inshallah he will be back soon. Within a month or two. He will be there with us, Inshallah.

LESSIN: This was the family's last day in the country.

UZMA: We spend a very good time here…hard to say goodbye.

LESSIN: The neighborhood schools were letting out, just as the boys were leaving their home for the very last time.

UZAIR: That's the kid that called me terrorist. He called me terrorist.

LESSIN: Uzma and children arrived safely in Pakistan.

Anser Mehmood remains in federal custody.