31 August 1999 

Text: Justice Dept. Initiates Deportation Action Against Former Nazi 

(Michael Gruber said to be former concentration camp guard) (550)

The U.S. Department of Justice has taken the first step towards the
deportation of Michael Gruber of New York City, who is accused of
having served as a Nazi guard at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp
in Germany during World War II.

The first hearing in the case will take place on October 1, according
to an August 31 Justice Department press release.

Gruber, 84, is a native of Croatia. He is a citizen of Austria and
immigrated to the United States in 1956.

The Justice Department's Office of Special Investigations (OSI)
alleges that Gruber was a member of the Nazi-sponsored Waffen-SS from
September 1942 until December 1944 and that his wartime activities at
Sachsenhausen constituted "assistance in the persecution of civilians
on the basis of their race, religion, national origin, or political
opinion," thus requiring his removal from the United States.

The OSI began operations in 1979 and since then 63 Nazi persecutors
have lost their U.S. citizenship, 52 have been removed from the United
States, and about 250 others are still being investigated.

Following is the text of the press release:

(begin text)

U.S. Department of Justice
August 31, 1999

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INITIATES REMOVAL ACTION IN NEW YORK CITY AGAINST
FORMER NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP GUARD

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice has initiated deportation
(removal) proceedings against a New York City, New York, man it
alleges served the Nazis as an armed SS guard at the Sachsenhausen
Concentration Camp in Germany during World War II.

The Notice to Appear, filed in U.S. Immigration Court in New York by
the Criminal Division's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) and the
New York District Office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization
Service (INS), alleges that Michael Gruber, 84, a native of Croatia
and an Austrian citizen, was a member of the Nazi-sponsored Waffen-SS
from September 1942 until December 1944. The first hearing in the case
will occur on October 1.

The government alleges that Gruber's wartime activities at
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp constituted assistance in the
persecution of civilians on the basis of their race, religion,
national origin, or political opinion, requiring his removal.

OSI Director Eli M. Rosenbaum noted that Sachsenhausen, one of the
first concentration camps to be constructed, was used by the Nazis to
isolate and eliminate Jews, Gypsies, Poles, and other Nazi-designated
enemies. "Segregation, debasement, physical mistreatment, and
extermination were practiced on a daily basis at Sachsenhausen," said
Rosenbaum.

Gruber immigrated to the United States from Austria in 1956. His
removal from the United States is being sought under sections of the
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 commonly referred to as the
Holtzman Amendment, named after the principal sponsor of the 1978
legislation that added them to the statute, former New York
Congresswoman Elizabeth Holtzman.

"The Gruber proceeding is a result of OSI's continuing investigation
of Nazi persecutors residing illegally in this country," said
Rosenbaum. Since OSI began operations in 1979, 63 Nazi persecutors
have been stripped of U.S. citizenship and 52 such individuals have
been removed from the United States. Approximately 250 persons are
currently under investigation by the Department of Justice unit.

(end text)



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