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Some detained Michigan Iraqis who were rounded up by immigration agents in June may avoid getting deported. For one, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is considering pardoning some.
All those rounded up have criminal records ranging from marijuana possession to murder. Those with more serious crimes are more likely to get deported.
Additionally, others may dodge the bullet as well through other means. In all, 254 Iraqis around the country, many of them Chaldeans, have been arrested under this latest push by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. More than 100 are from Metro Detroit.
Kim Kozlowski of the Detroit News reports:
Nine people are being considered by the Michigan Parole Board for possible pardon of their crimes, and 30 recently learned their cases would be reopened in Detroit immigration court, officials said. The 39 people with movement on their cases are only a fraction of the 254 Iraqis who are in detention following arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but advocates for the detainees say it’s a start.
“The fight is an uphill battle but tell your loved ones never to despair, that our justice court system still works & we have fair & reasonable judges,” immigration attorney Eman Jajonie-Daman wrote recently on her Facebook page. “Each case must be analyzed separately and thoroughly for there are many reliefs available, but not everyone is eligible for everything.”
Khaalid Walls, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Detroit, said those subject to removal have a right to seek freedom but if their efforts fail, ICE must do its job.
In June, the detained Iraqis had been expected to be quickly deported to their homeland. But U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith of Detroit, after a series of hearings, blocked the deportations, saying the Iraqis deserve a hearing before the immigration court to reconsider their status. He agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union that many could face grave danger if they return home, particularly the Chaldeans who are Christian and faced discrimination when they lived there.
