U.S. Judge Halts Deportation of Nearly 200 Iraqi Immigrants

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.