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Federal Judge Issues Stay To Stop Deportation Of Iraqi Immigrants

DETROIT (WWJ) - The group of 1,444 Iraqi immigrants received some good news on Monday night when  U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith granted a stay to prevent deportation.

The temporary stay is based on those being deported -- who are mostly Christians -- could possibly face danger when sent back to Iraq. In the report Goldsmith considered this to be "extreme circumstances" and gave all Iraqi nationals effected two more weeks to legally fight their deportation.

"The substantial allegations made here are the detainees face extreme, grave consequences: death, persecution and torture," Goldsmith wrote in the report issued shortly after 9 p.m.

WWJ's Charlie Langton explained in a live broadcast that with this being an immediate concern with a dangerous outcome that it makes sense to issue this verdict.

"The government was going to deport people as early as Tuesday," Langton said during a live WWJ broadcast. "Which would mean there is an immediate concern and an immediate mean to act. The judge was also concerned that there is at least an allegation that if Iraqi nationals go back to Iraq they could be tortured or killed."

Langton added that it's now up to the Iraqi nationals to prove to the courts how important it is to not be deported.

"It really now is up to the Iraqi nationals, they have a lot of work to do," Langton said. "They have to go to the court, the immigration court and they have to file the appropriate paperwork to get a hearing on the merits and prove that if they are sent back to Iraq that they could be tortured or killed."

Hundreds of Chaldeans and other Iraqis were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on June 11 during sweeps which took place in Sterling Heights, West Bloomfield and Dearborn.

Those arrested have since been detained at locations across Michigan, Ohio and Louisiana.

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