Judge in Michigan blocks deportation of more than 100 Iraqis

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

POLITICS | Thu Jun 22, 2017 | 7:15pm EDT

A U.S. district court judge in Michigan has temporarily blocked the deportations of more than 100 Iraqi nationals until a decision is reached over who has jurisdiction over the matter, according to court documents filed on Thursday.

Judge Mark Goldsmith issued an order staying the removal of the Iraqis convicted of various crimes after they argued they could face persecution or torture in Iraq because of their status as religious minorities, the documents say.

The U.S. government has argued that under U.S. law, the district court does not have jurisdiction over the case, which can only be reviewed by an appeals court.

(Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by David Alexander)


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-iraqis-idUSKBN19D2X3

---

_______________________________________________________________________

Short article. No more at link.

[sandensea]

1. "BETSY! Where's Betsy!!"

"Can't that useless husband of yours control the judges in Michigan? It's YOUR Goddamned state!!"

?1480274851

[Thomas Hurt]

2. Sectarian threat to them or are they foreign conservative christian criminals...

[riversedge]

3. Good news. this halt will give them time to appeal hopefully.

[riversedge]

4. Some more from nytimes..........

Detroit Judge Halts Deportation of Iraqi Christians




https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/06/22/us/ap-us-immigration-arrests-michigan.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news


By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JUNE 22, 2017, 9:33 P.M. E.D.T.
Continue reading the main story
........................
U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith said in a written order that deportation is halted for 14 days while he decides if his court has jurisdiction to hear their plight.

The Justice Department had argued that the detainees, including many who were recently rounded up after decades in the U.S., must go to immigration court to try to remain in the U.S., not U.S. District Court. But the American Civil Liberties Union said they might be deported before an immigration judge can consider their requests to stay.

Goldsmith heard arguments Wednesday. He said he needs more time to consider complex legal issues.
....................................

Most of the 114 Iraqis are Chaldean Christians, but some are Shiite Muslims and converts to Christianity. They were arrested on or about June 11 and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said all have criminal convictions........

[tblue37]

5. What sort of crimes? Trump's ICE has been going after immigrants as "criminals"

when their "crimes" are very minor or are many years in the past for someone who has since then been an upstanding, productive member of the community --like Roberto Beristain the restaurant owner they deported for a DUI that occurred 20 years ago
( http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/indiana-restaurant-owner-deported-friday-116463/ ).

If the crimes are serious, then I can see deporting them, but I'm guessing that most are things like fudging information on their application for admission to the country, vandalism committed while a teenager, or a long ago DUI that was not repeated (like Roberto Beristain's situation).