In the three months following the attacks on the World Trade Center more than 1,100 people have been detained in connection to the government's investigations. In November Attorney General Aschcroft announced that 548 people were being held on immigration charges, another 104 for federal criminal charges, and about 24 people were detained as material witnesses. According to information released by senior law enforcement officials, the immigration charges referred to routine violations such as overstaying a visa while the criminal charges had little connection to terrorism. These charges were primarily related to credit card fraud and theft.

The US government has been very thrifty in providing information about the locations where the detainees are being held or their treatment and living conditions. Independent monitoring groups were denied access to state and local facilities where unknown number of individuals has been kept. Individual detainees have reported lack of prompt access to counsel, harsh conditions, and abusive treatment.

"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures", this quote has emerged out of public discussions among political and criminal justice analysts and military officials on whether or not "special" measures are needed during interrogations. These discussions sparkled a wide spread debate in the media about the possible need of torture, "truth serums" or sending detainees to countries where harsher techniques of interrogation have been common.