Dozens of Iraqi Christians living in Detroit are set to be deported to their country of origin for crimes committed as long as 30 years ago.
Over 114 Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, including U.S. military veterans, were arrested on June 10-11 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.
And now their judgement is in the hands of U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith. They are now being held in Youngstown, Ohio.
It is said that many of these individuals are not saints and they all have criminal records, but their lawyer; Clarence M. Dass, stated that the most of their convictions are for minor drug offenses and financial crimes dating back to the 1990s. Some have already served prison sentences for their crimes and paid their debt to society.
Clarence also stated that if the judge writes them off they will be sent to a dangerous zone:
“Unless the judge halts this, they’re going to be deported to Iraq, which amounts to harsher punishment that they would receive here in the United States,” “They are being subjected to the kind of religious discrimination our country has been fighting against for years.”
In March, congress passed a resolution pronouncing Chaldean and Assyrian Christians as targets of attempted genocide by the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq. Making things even worse, the majority of the Christian detainees would probably be destined for Mosul, where the Iraqi Army and ISIS are engaged in fierce fighting for control of the city.
Graham suggested that the President find a way to investigate these cases properly before making an unfair decision:
“I find it very disturbing what I have read about Chaldean Christians being rounded up by U.S. ICE for possible deportation. I would encourage the president to have someone investigate these cases thoroughly.”
Haydar Butris, 39, was convicted in 1999 of manufacturing and delivering seven pounds of marijuana. Because it was his first criminal offense, he got off with three years’ probation.
His brother, Marten Mansor, a U.S. citizen who came from Iraq in 1995, says Butris has had a clean record since then:
“When Saddam Hussein was in power, the country was better off. If ISIS gets hold of these people, they will be beheaded or worse. Why send them back to their deaths?”
It’s a question a lot of Christians are asking.
