(AP/Carlos Osorio)A Detroit federal judge has temporarily halted the deportations of scores of Iraqi nationals nationwide who advocates say could face death, persecution and torture upon returning to their native country. [Dozens of Iraqi nationals swept up in immigration raids in Michigan, Tennessee]The ACLU, immigration advocates and Iraqi community leaders in the Detroit area celebrated the move to temporarily protect the potential deportees. Several of these removal orders were issued decades ago, as early as the 1980s and 1990s, Naoum said. Most of the cases involved people who entered the country legally but faced removal orders due to overstayed visas or criminal convictions. “This community was brought to its knees.”The Detroit area’s Iraqi Christians voted heavily for Trump in the election, Naoum said.

Source: Washington Post June 27, 2017 04:19 UTC