ACLU Stalls Trumps Plan To Deport Iraqi Christians

I can't believe this is happening. There has been so much talk---lots from RW related to the persecution of Christians around the world-and in the ME especially.



06/15/2017 03:14 pm ET | Updated 8 hours ago





ACLU Stalls Trump’s Plan To Deport Iraqi Christians

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-iraqi-christians-aclu_us_59415667e4b09ad4fbe4ce41

“Our immigration policy shouldn’t amount to a death sentence for anyone,” the ACLU says.
By Akbar Shahid Ahmed


WASHINGTON ― The American Civil Liberties Union has slowed down the Trump administration’s plan to deport 114 Iraqis, most of them Christians, who were arrested in Michigan last weekend and were expected to face deportation starting Friday.

After the ACLU filed a class-action petition and a motion for a temporary restraining order on behalf of the Iraqis on Thursday, the government set a hearing for Wednesday afternoon. ................................................



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“Not only is it immoral to send people to a country where they are likely to be violently persecuted, it expressly violates United States and international law and treaties,” said Kary Moss, the executive director of the ACLU of Michigan, in a Thursday afternoon statement.

“We are hoping that the courts will recognize the extreme danger that deportation to Iraq would pose for these individuals,” she added. “Our immigration policy shouldn’t amount to a death sentence for anyone.”

Activists and community members were startled by the weekend arrests because of Trump’s promises to protect Christians in the Middle East and prioritize Christian refugees. Many Iraqi Christians voted for Trump in Michigan ― a key state he won by only a few thousand votes.

Both the Obama and Trump administrations, along with Congress, have declared the persecution of Christians in Iraq a “genocide” ― suggesting the U.S. has some responsibility to help........................







Marko Djurica/Reuters
The remains of destroyed church are seen in the town of Qaraqosh, south of Mosul, Iraq, on April 13, 2017.