CEDAR FALLS - In Washington, a U.S. Senate committee began hearings today on renewing the USA Patriot Act, adopted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On the University of Northern Iowa campus Monday, the law came under fire as intruding on individual rights and failing to nab terrorists.

"We all want to be safe, but the law doesn't do anything to make us safer," said panel member Chris Mullins, a UNI criminology professor.

The UNI chapter of Amnesty International assembled the panel, which included Mullins, immigration rights lawyer Miryam Antunez de Mayolo and former Iowa Civil Liberties Union board member Hannah Weston.

Mullins said the Patriot Act expanded police surveillance powers while limiting judicial oversight.

He said a recent Department of Justice report overstates the law's impact, taking credit for 379 arrests and 200 convictions worldwide. But the count included many combatants in Iraq, who are largely not terrorists, he said.

The report also said the law was instrumental in convicting "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. Reid tried to blow up a jet in 2001, but asked for assistance after forgetting to bring matches to light explosives hidden in his shoe.

"Mr. Reid was convicted by his own stupidity - nothing about surveillance, nothing about investigations," Mullins said.

De Mayolo said the Patriot Act has hurt many immigrants, even those in this country legally.

She said one of her clients could be deported to his native Jamaica, having lived in the United States for 30 years, following a misdemeanor shoplifting charge.

"The judges don't have the discretion to determine if someone deserves a second chance," de Mayolo said.

She said a bill now before the Senate would treat immigrants harsher.

Audience member Kent Sandstrom, a UNI sociology professor, said Patriot Act supporters believe it's worthwhile to forfeit some rights to maintain safety.

"What do you say to people who ask, 'What do you really have to worry about if you haven't broken any laws?'" he asked the panel.

"You can very well be falsely accused of a crime," Mullins said. "The court system doesn't always work, and just because you go through the system does not mean you're automatically guilty."

Contact Jim Stanton at (319) 291-1520 or jim.stanton@wcfcourier.com.