Federal judge blocks deportations of 1,400 Iraqi nationalsWashington Examiner, Jul 11, 2017, Josh Siegel
A U.S. federal judge blocked the deportation of 1,400 Iraqi nationals arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month while courts review the orders to remove them from the country.
Judge Mark Goldsmith said his court had jurisdiction in the case. The Justice Department argued U.S. district judges do not have jurisdiction.
"This Court concludes that to enforce the Congressional mandate that district courts lack jurisdiction — despite the compelling context of this case — would expose Petitioners to the substantiated risk of death, torture, or other grave persecution before their legal claims can be tested in a court," Goldsmith wrote in a 24-page opinion.
Late last month, Goldsmith had halted the deportations until he figured whether he had jurisdiction over the case.
The American Civil Liberties Union, arguing on the behalf of the Iraqis, said that they would face torture or death if they were returned to war-torn Iraq because many of them are Chaldean Christians, a persecuted minority group.
More:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/federal-judge-blocks-deportations-of-1400-iraqi-nationals/article/2628364
