Evangelical
leader, the Rev. Franklin Graham, has said the arrests of hundreds of Chaldean
Christians in Detroit and other cities nationwide is "very disturbing," and
urged President Donald Trump to consider their fate if deported back to
Iraq.
"I
find it very disturbing what I have read about Chaldean Christians being rounded
up by U.S. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for possible deportation. I
would encourage the president to have someone investigate these cases
thoroughly," Graham said on Facebook Friday.
"I
understand a policy of deporting people who are here illegally and have broken
the law. I don't know all of the details, but I would encourage our president to
give great consideration to the threat to lives of Christians in countries like
Iraq."
Christian
leaders have been speaking out against the arrests carried out by immigration
officials in Detroit last weekend, warning that the migrants face a "death
sentence" if sent back to Iraq, where the Islamic State terror group has been
committing genocide.
ICE
claims that the vast majority of the 114 people arrested in Detroit have in the
past carried out serious crimes, and represent a "very real public safety
threat."
The
American Civil Liberties Union, a left-leaning legal group which has challenged
conservatives on a variety of issues in the past, also stood up for the
Christians, and filed a class action lawsuit Thursday to stop the
deportations.
The
ACLU of Michigan is representing five Christian petitioners and two
Muslims, CNN has reported. The group is arguing that it's illegal to
deport the detainees without giving them the chance to prove they could face
torture or death back in Iraq.
"Not
only is it immoral to send people to a country where they are likely to be
violently persecuted, it expressly violates United States and international law
and treaties," said Kary Moss, executive director for the ACLU of Michigan.
"We
are hoping that the courts will recognize the extreme danger that deportation to
Iraq would pose for these individuals. Our immigration policy shouldn't amount
to a death sentence for anyone."
ICE
Secretary Gillian Christensen noted that officials have arrested a total of 199
Iraqi nationals since May, and have defended their actions in numerous
statements.
"The
vast majority of those arrested [in] the Detroit metropolitan area have very
serious felony convictions, multiple felony convictions in many cases. I applaud
the efforts of the law enforcement personnel who, day in and day out, put their
lives on the line to protect this community," Christensen said.
Chaldean
Community Foundation President Martin Manna said that he has reached out to the
U.S. State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but the
issue remains unresolved.
"We
are pleading with the government to reconsider," Manna said.
Pastor
Jalil Dawood, the president of World Refugee Care, who fled Iraq as a refugee
during the country's war with Iran in 1982 and started a new life in the U.S.,
told The
Christian Post earlier this week,
"We can't say these people went through genocide and send them back to be
victimized again! We hope and pray that the issue gets resolved."
"America
should never deport Christians to Iraq because they will be in trouble in Iraq
as over a million left Iraq since 2003, and this will cause great hardship to
their loved ones here," also bringing "harm to them physically, mentally, and
spiritually if they [are] ever sent back," Dawood said.
Read
more at
http://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-arrests-detroit-christians-disturbing-fears-for-their-lives-188223/#em0U5YW2SzpdqUOO.99
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