U.S. arrests nearly 200 Iraqis in deportation sweep

[webfact]

U.S. arrests nearly 200 Iraqis in deportation sweep

 

DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. immigration authorities have arrested and moved to deport 199 Iraqi immigrants, mostly from the Detroit area, in the last three weeks after Iraq agreed to accept deportees as part of a deal removing it from President Donald Trump's travel ban, officials said on Wednesday.

 

In the Detroit area, 114 Iraqi nationals were arrested over the weekend, and 85 throughout the rest of the country over the past several weeks, Gillian Christensen, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman, said in a statement.

 

The actions came as part of the Trump administration's push to increase immigration enforcement and make countries, which have resisted in the past, take back nationals ordered deported from the United States.

 

The crackdown on Iraqi immigrants followed the U.S. government's decision to drop Iraq from a list of Muslim-majority nations targeted by a revised version of Trump's temporary travel ban issued in March.

 

The overwhelming majority of those arrested had criminal convictions for crimes including murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, burglary, drug trafficking, weapons violations and other offences, Christensen said.

 

As of April 17, 2017, there were 1,444 Iraqi nationals with final orders for removal, she said. Since the March 12 agreement with Iraq regarding deportees, eight Iraqi nationals have been removed to Iraq.

 

Dozens of Iraqi Chaldean Catholics in Detroit were among those targeted in the immigration sweeps, some of whom fear they will be killed if deported to their home country, immigration attorneys and family members said.

 

“It is very worrisome that ICE has signalled its intention to remove Chaldean Christians to Iraq where their safety not only cannot be guaranteed, but where they face persecution and death for their religious beliefs,” Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean Community Foundation, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

 

Kurdish Iraqis also were picked up in Nashville, Tennessee, attorneys, activists and family members said.

 

At least some of those arrested came to the United States as children, got in trouble and already served their sentences, according to immigration attorneys and activists. Some have lived in the United States so long they no longer speak Arabic.

 

An Iraqi official previously said Iraqi diplomatic and consular missions would coordinate with U.S. authorities to issue travel documents for the deportees.

 

(Reporting by Ben Klayman; Editing by Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-15

[MaxYakov]

A good start? It appears that some had better start learning Arabic. I'll they know the written numerals already, at least. They should let the Chaldean Catholics w/o criminal records stay as refugees.

Edited June 15, 2017 by MaxYakov

[LazySlipper]

Jesus!

How is it they know they are criminals yet let them enter...

 

 

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

 

10 minutes ago, LazySlipper said:

Jesus!

How is it they know they are criminals yet let them enter...

 

 

They did not enter with a criminal record.   The crimes were committed after they arrived.  

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

which have resisted in the past, take back nationals ordered deported from the United States.

those countries can do that ?

[simple1]

23 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

those countries can do that ?

Governments control entry so, 'Yes", Government to government agreement has to be in place to permit deportation against a person's will, an example is the OP. 

Edited June 15, 2017 by simple1

[dieseldave1951]

it should be in every country "if you commit a serious crime" then you are automatically deported case closed and no re-entry 

[pegman]

3 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

A good start? It appears that some had better start learning Arabic. I'll they know the written numerals already, at least. They should let the Chaldean Catholics w/o criminal records stay as refugees.

If Trump tries to treat the Christians differently the courts would surely step in. 

[Juan B Tong]

Oohrah!

[kamahele]

3 hours ago, LazySlipper said:

Jesus!

How is it they know they are criminals yet let them enter...

 

 

The crimes were committed in the US and not before, however many of those with criminal pasts moved to the US as children, grew up in the states and served their time for their crime.

[halloween]

4 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

A good start? It appears that some had better start learning Arabic. I'll they know the written numerals already, at least. They should let the Chaldean Catholics w/o criminal records stay as refugees.

Why should your religion be grounds for preferential treatment? Should atheists go to the head of the cue, after all the US could use a little rationality?

 

Face it, if your from a muslim country, even if you are a muslim, there's bound to be someone there that hates you because of your professed belief. And if there isn't, you can always convert for the benefits.

[Scott]

3 minutes ago, halloween said:

Why should your religion be grounds for preferential treatment? Should atheists go to the head of the cue, after all the US could use a little rationality?

 

Face it, if your from a muslim country, even if you are a muslim, there's bound to be someone there that hates you because of your professed belief. And if there isn't, you can always convert for the benefits.

Their religion should not make a difference and the only thing that might influence a decision to deport would be if they face persecution.    No doubt being returned to Iraq would result in discrimination, but I don't know that it would amount to persecution.   Even if it did, I don't know that they could apply for asylum of something they think might happen unless it is well documented.   For example, the beheading of the atheist in Saudi Arabia a while ago might result in a stay on a deportation order.   

 

At any rate, I don't think there is a legal case for them other than a request to remain under humanitarian grounds and the prevailing attitude might preclude that from happening.  

[Revolutionary]

Regardless of religion. If they have commuted the crime then deport them.

[Credo]

11 minutes ago, Revolutionary said:

Regardless of religion. If they have commuted the crime then deport them.

If their crimes were commuted, then they shouldn't be deported.   

[alocacoc]

Good Job. Europe could learn from it.

[simple1]

1 hour ago, alocacoc said:

Good Job. Europe could learn from it.

As an example UK, as does Australia, deport convicted criminals for repeat or serious offences at completion of sentence so long as government to government agreements are in-place as per the OP. UK has deported hundreds as has Oz.

[Redline]

I don't think this will bode well for our military personnel in Iraq. Iraqis are well informed people.  Iran is working for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and like reversal of adding Iraqis from the travel ban, this may be another ill advised action of a  dysfunctional government 

[transam]

7 minutes ago, Redline said:

I don't think this will bode well for our military personnel in Iraq. Iraqis are well informed people.  Iran is working for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and like reversal of adding Iraqis from the travel ban, this may be another ill advised action of a  dysfunctional government 

Crap....

[Redline]

59 minutes ago, transam said:

Crap....

Don't talk about yourself like that.  Did you serve in Iraq, or do you know anyone who has?  I don't know much about you, but your answer matches your one word vocabulary

[ToS2014]

9 hours ago, dieseldave1951 said:

it should be in every country "if you commit a serious crime" then you are automatically deported case closed and no re-entry 

Agree.  Too bad it works the exact opposite for those 'quality' tourists in safe haven states like, errr ahem...well you know.

[anon4546543]

14 hours ago, Revolutionary said:

Regardless of religion. If they have commuted the crime then deport them.

Err, you got commuted and committed mixed up. I wish I had such simple mix ups.

Does a child who has committed minor crime, but since become a model citizen need be deported.

 

However, I do recognise the problem. It comes from mixing cultures by just throwing granted migrants into mainstream western countries without any support.

Check Melbourne Australia. Australian government agencies welcomed so called refugees from Somalia, Sudan and others from near the "Horn of Africa"

Since then petty and really serious crime has broken out from the children of these so called "refugees" all across Melbourne. The African gangs are out of control.

"We cannot control our children" the parents wail. "Our children have too much freedom"

If we did not have them, there would be no need to send them back.