WASHINGTON -- A new immigration-security policy to screen Canadian citizens born in the Middle East remains "in force," INS inspectors said today, despite claims to the contrary by Canadian officials.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham last week announced that he had received "firm assurances" from U.S. officials that Arab-Canadians "will not be treated any differently" upon entering the U.S. than other Canadian visitors.

The U.S. screening policy, which fully went into effect Oct. 1, gives inspectors the discretion to fingerprint, photograph and monitor Canadian nationals born in the following "special interest" countries: Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya and Syria -- as well as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, as WorldNetDaily first reported Sept. 19.

The policy is part of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, or NSEERS, authorized under the USA Patriot Act, which was passed in response to last year's terrorist attacks on America.

"We are still doing NSEERs on Canadians born in special-interest countries," said a veteran INS inspector. "But it is very much hush-hush right now."

He added that Secretary of State Colin Powell is having to do the "soft toe dance with the Canadian foreign minister over this, because it is causing a big stir in Canada and could affect our relations over the long run."

According to a long Sept. 5 INS memo updating field procedures, the NSEERS policy that applies to Arab-Canadians and other dual nationals reads:

"A case that might warrant discretionary registration could be: A nonimmigrant alien who is a dual national and is applying for admission as a national of a country that is not subject to special registration, but the alien's other nationality would subject him or her to special registration."

In response to concerns expressed by the Canadian government, the State Department late Friday released a statement clarifying the policy.

"Place of birth by itself will not automatically trigger registration," said the statement released through the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.

But the statement continued: "U.S. immigration officials reserve the right to register any aliens, including Canadians, whom they believe pose a threat to the United States."

Canadian Embassy spokesman Bernard Etzinger told WorldNetDaily he took the statement to mean, "There will no longer be an automatic second line" for Arab-Canadians.

INS inspectors says they will continue to treat all Canadian visitors with respect. But they say those born in the special-interest countries will be processed through NSEERS as the law requires.

They add that they also have the discretion to specially register any Canadian nationals who have made unexplained trips to countries deemed a security risk by the U.S., including: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Yemen, Egypt, Somalia, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Canada has more than 210,000 Mideast immigrants, among them suspected al-Qaida terrorists.

Graham got a standing ovation from caucus members in the House of Commons Thursday after announcing that he got assurances from the U.S. that Canadian citizens born in the Mideast "will not be subject to fingerprinting," as the Canadian Press put it.

Graham had spoken with U.S. ambassador Paul Cellucci, as well as Powell and Attorney General John Ashcroft, who authorized the new INS screening policy.

But it appears Graham read more into the conversations than U.S. officials meant to convey.

"Canada took what they wanted out of a conversation with Mr. Powell and came away believing we were not going to do NSEERS on their citizens," said one INS official.

The Saudis also walked away from meetings with top Justice officials thinking that the policy had been canceled, and that no Saudi visitors would be fingerprinted, including men between the ages of 16 and 45.

But the Saudis read into written Justice statements things that weren't there, as WorldNetDaily first reported.

Now the Saudi government has threatened to fingerprint Americans who enter Saudi.

Fifteen of the Sept. 11 hijackers were Saudi nationals, along with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and members of the Saudi government are suspected of financing al-Qaida through various Islamic charities.

Previous stories:

INS intensifies screening of certain Arab-Canadians

Saudi Arabia 'shocked' to be added to watchlist

Saudi panic over Justice memo leads to meeting

INS to vet Indonesia, Malaysia travelers

U.S. gets tough with Paki, Saudi visitors

INS crackdown yields few foreign fugitives

U.S. holding Canadian teen in Afghanistan

U.S. still resettling Afghan refugees here

INS hasn't closed terrorist loopholes at airports

INS terrorist database often crashes

Don't arrest terrorists, INS tells LAX agents in memo

INS to deport 6,000 Arab aliens on commercial jetliners

FBI shadowing suspect passengers

INS shutters fight school

Texans picketed airport over WND story

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