Hearing To Release Iraqi Nationals Held For Deportation Scheduled In Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - The next appeal for freedom on behalf of over 100 metro Detroit Iraqi nationals arrested last June by immigration authorities and scheduled for deportation will take place this week.

A hearing, appealing for their release, is scheduled before U.S. District Court Judge Mark Goldsmith in Detroit Wednesday.

Attorney Nadine Yousif Kalasho represents the detainees --the majority of whom are targeted for their religious beliefs in Iraq she says.

"A majority of them are in the Northeast Correctional Facility in Youngstown, Ohio -- from where we live it's a little more than a four-hour drive, and it's extremely difficult for families to go out there, and the conditions there are just becoming much worse -- a lot of these men have health issues so we are hoping that this Wednesday our arguments are set straight and the judge hears us," said Kalasho.

She says the process, or lack of, has been frustrating.

"The Iraqi nationals have not been afforded individual determination as to whether they are a flight risk or a danger to the community - that's a big issue that we brought in our motion ... so it is frustrating but we remain positive."

She says virtually all of those in custody are Chaldean Catholics who are among the most persecuted in Iraq.