A U.S. judge has ruled that the federal government cannot immediately deport
the almost 200 Iraqi immigrants arrested last month. These immigrants
are claiming that they would face persecution if returned to their home
countries. U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith in Michigan granted a preliminary
injunction against the government, finding that sending the Iraqis back
to their native country at this point would expose them to a “
substantiated risk of death, torture, or other grave persecution.” The preliminary injunction is applicable for 90 days. Many among
this group of immigrants are located in the Detroit area, but some also
are located in California, Tennessee, and New Mexico. Some of the immigrants
are Chaldean Catholics, and others, Iraqi Kurds, both religious affiliations
that make them targets as visible minority citizens. Each immigrant in
this group had outstanding deportation orders, and many have been convicted
of serious crimes. However, many of the criminal convictions were decades
ago; one man served more than 20 years in prison for second-degree murder
stemming from a 1993 incident. These immigrants were permitted to remain
in the country because Iraq had refused to issue them travel documents,
at least until fairly recently. In March, Iraq agreed to issue travel
documents for these immigrants, in exchange for Trump dropping Iraq from
the list of countries subject to the temporary travel ban. While DHS argued
that only immigration courts had the authority to determine the status
of these Iraqi immigrants, Judge Goldsmith disagreed. The judge took the
side of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who is representing
the immigration, ruling that he had the authority to address attacks on
constitutional rights and the extraordinary circumstances of these Iraqi
immigrants. If you are facing deportation, don’t lose hope. From
California to Arizona, the deportation defense attorneys of
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.
know how to help you through every step of your deportation proceedings.
Take the first step today toward securing the future of your family in
the United States, and call our office at (510) 756-4468 to set up a
legal consultation with one of our highly skilled immigration lawyers.
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