INS spokespeople have not released actual numbers, but Reuters reports hundreds of Muslim immigrants have been arrested in Southern California.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranian and other Middle East citizens were in southern California jails on Wednesday after coming forward to comply with a new rule to register with immigration authorities only to wind up handcuffed and behind bars.

Shocked and frustrated Islamic and immigrant groups estimate that more than 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, neighboring Orange County and San Diego in the past three days under a new nationwide anti-terrorism program. Some unconfirmed reports put the figure as high as 1,000.

The arrests sparked a demonstration by hundreds of Iranians outside a Los Angeles immigration office. The protesters carried banners saying “What’s next? Concentration camps?” and “What happened to liberty and justice?”

You’ll need to read almost to the bottom of this story to discover that those arrested had violated immigration laws, overstayed their visas, or were wanted for crimes. But nonetheless:

Islamic community leaders said many of the detainees had been living, working and paying taxes in the United States for five or 10 years, and had families here.

“Terrorists most likely wouldn’t come to the INS to register. It is really a bad way to go about it. They are being treated as criminals and that really goes against American ideals of fairness, and justice and democracy,” Khan said.

Maybe they’re being treated as criminals because they broke laws? Ya think?

As for whether terrorists would come in to register, dumb criminals are caught in stings like this all the time—and terrorists are nothing if not schtoopid.