The U.S. government accused three men Wednesday of taking part in Nazi World War II programs to exterminate Jews and opened deportation proceedings against them. The Justice Department’s Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) served summonses on Karlis Detlavs, 65, a Latvian living in Baltimore; Bronius Kaminskas, 73, a Lithuanian residing in Hartford; and Boleslavs Maikovskis, 72, a Latvian living in Mineola, NY.
Kaminskas was accused of participating in “the selection of a group of approximately 400. Jews at a location known as Shukstas Estate, for execution at another location known as the Kupras Woods, in or about July or August 1941,” of taking part in “the shooting of approximately 200 Jews at or near a location known as the Bilum Estate.” and the “shooting of approximately 60 children at or near a location known as Medziolkalnis Woods,” in the same area.
Detlavs was charged with being “employed as a member of the Latvian Legion from 1941 to 1944” and that while a member he participated in the shooting of Jews in the Riga ghetto in October 1941. He was also charged with “selection of a group of Jews at a location known as the Dwinsk ghetto for execution at another location known as the Pogulanka Woods” earlier that year.
Maikovskis was identified as a member of the police department in Rezekne, Latvia, in 1941 and 1942 and that during those years he selected groups of Jews for execution in the Pogulanka Woods.
ORDER SHOW CAUSE HEARINGS
The INS ordered the three men to appear at hearings to show why they should not be deported for concealing alleged war crimes in Latvia and Lithuania when they applied for U.S. entry. The INS said it was the first time the government has on its own initiative, taken deportation action against persons accused of war crimes.
The INS said it had drawn up the lists of allegations against the three after INS officials visited Israel to examine war crimes files and interview witnesses. Earlier this month immigration officials said they were working on some 90 cases involving persons residing in this country who were suspected of committing war crimes in Europe.
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