U.S. judge halts deportation of 1,400 Iraqis

A refugees welcome sign.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that 1,400 Iraqi immigrants cannot be deported from the United States while courts are reviewing their asylum cases.

Many of the Iraqis are Christians who fear persecution, including 114 who were arrested in the Detroit area and accused by the Department of Justice of committing crimes in the United States, Al Jazeera reports. In his opinion, Judge Mark Goldsmith said he has jurisdiction in the case over the DOJ, and if the Iraqis are sent back they would be exposed to "substantiated risk of death, torture, or other grave persecution before their legal claims can be tested in a court."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.