Today Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) and Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI) along with the entire Michigan delegation reintroduced the Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals, Including Minorities Act to provide two years of relief from detainment and deportation for Iraqi nationals who have orders for removal.
In June 2017, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Trump administration arrested dozens of Michigan Chaldeans (Iraqi Christians) and threatened to deport approximately 1,400 Iraqis with final orders of removal. A court order in the Hamama v. Adducci case protected this group from deportation and between then and December 2018, approximately 400 individuals from that group had their cases reopened. Many were granted citizenship and others secured protection against removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act or Convention Against Torture.
In December 2018, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court's stay of removal, and the order preventing removal remained temporarily in effect during the Court's consideration of a rehearing. With the Circuit Court's April 2, 2018 denial to grant a rehearing, an estimated 1,000 individuals again faced immediate risk of deportation. In August 2019, Jimmy Aldaoud, a Michigan Chaldean from Oakland County who lived with both diabetes and paranoid schizophrenia, had never been to Iraq, spoke no Arabic, and was deported without identification, money or a sufficient supply of insulin, died of a diabetic crisis.
"This month marks four years that these individuals and their families have suffered the excruciating pain of not knowing if they will be sent back to a country they have never known to face persecution and even death," said Rep. Levin. "Sadly, Americanization alone is enough for Iraqi deportees to be made unsafe upon arrival in Iraq. Numerous Iraqis, including many Chaldean Christians, will face persecution for their religion, their ethnicity or their ties to America if they are forced back to Iraq against their will. As the member of Congress with the largest population of Iraqi nationals and a close friend to the Chaldean community, I will not stop fighting until my constituents have the peace of knowing their cases will be heard in court. I thank my colleague Congressman John Moolenaar for his years of partnership on one of the most important fights of my time in Congress."
"This legislation will provide certainty to families and the entire Chaldean community in Michigan and across the country," said Rep. Moolenaar. "This Independence Day Americans will celebrate the many freedoms we are blessed to enjoy in our nation including the freedom to follow our own religious beliefs. Tragically, that is not the case in Iraq, where Christians and other religious minorities face persecution and death for following their faith. That's unacceptable and Congressman Levin and I will continue our work to protect Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities."
The Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals, Including Minorities Act would allow these individuals to have their immigration cases re-heard by deferring removal for 24 months for nationals of Iraq who have been ordered removed at any time prior to the bill's enactment, and who resided in the United States on or before January 1, 2016. The bill would exclude from deferral those who pose a threat to national security, are returning voluntarily, or are subject to extradition. Authorization and documentation for the purposes of employment would be valid for the 24-month deferral to those who apply through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS would also be required to provide notice of these changes within two months of their enactment, and DHS would be prevented from detaining any individual who receives deferral for the 24-month period.
On February 25, 2021, Rep. Levin and Rep. Moolenaar, joined by 18 bipartisan members, sent a letter urging DHS and ICE to avoid the detention or removal of Iraqi nationals at risk of deportation and provide long-term relief for their families.
The Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals, Including Minorities Act is cosponsored by the entire Michigan Delegation: Representatives Dan Kildee (D-MI), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI), Lisa McClain (R-MI), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Fred Upton (R-MI), Peter Meijer (R-MI) and Jack Bergman (R-MI).
Source:https://andylevin.house.gov/media/press-releases/levin-moolenaar-michigan-delegation-reintroduce-bill-provide-relief-iraqi
