Iraqi Christians in Detroit Saved from Deportation - for Now

More than 100 Iraqi Christians living in the Detroit area face a temporary reprieve from deportation.

U.S. District Judge Mark Goldsmith is delaying their deportation for 14 days so he can decide if his court has jurisdiction in their case.

The Christians fear torture and even death if they return to Iraq--a concern that Goldsmith acknowledged.

Potential physical harm, he said, "far outweighs any conceivable interest the government might have in the immediate enforcement of the removal orders before this court can clarify whether it has jurisdiction to grant relief to petitioners on the merits of their claims."

The Justice Department has argued that the Christians, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades, must make their case in immigration court and not U.S. District Court. But the American Civil Liberties Union said an immigration judge might not be able to hear their cases before deportation.

"The court took a life-saving action by blocking our clients from being immediately sent back to Iraq," said Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. "They should have a chance to show that their lives are in jeopardy if forced to return."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 114 Iraqis in Detroit earlier this month. Most are Chaldean Christians but a few are Shiite Muslims. ICE said all have criminal convictions of some kind.

Cynthia Barah, 18, said her father Moayad, one of the detainees, was convicted of marijuana possession decades ago and faces violence if he returns to Iraq.

"My dad is Christian and Donald Trump is sending him back to a place that is not safe whatsoever," she said.

Iraq recently agreed to receive Iraqi nationals that the U.S. deports.