6th Circuit Hears Oral Arguments In Challenge To Deportation of Iraqi Chaldeans

Yesterday, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals hear oral arguments (audio of full arguments) in Hamama v. Adducci. In the case, a Michigan federal district court issued a preliminary injunction preventing Iraqi nationals (many of whom are Chaldean Christians) subject to long-standing deportation orders from being removed from the United States while they attempt to convince immigration courts that their return will subject them to persecution, torture and possible death.  Subsequently the court also ordered bond hearings for those detained 6 months or longer. The appeals largely raise issues of whether federal district courts have jurisdiction to grant relief here, or whether plaintiffs should have pursued the matter through administrative immigration courts.  AP reports on the 6th Circuit oral arguments