DETROIT, MI--Today, a judge granted a preliminary injunction in in a class action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Michigan, the ACLU of New Mexico, and ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project on behalf of 1,400 Iraqi residents who have final orders of deportation, but fear that returning to Iraq will result in persecution, torture, or death. The injunction includes a stay of removal that will be in effect for 90 days after individuals receive their immigration files, and then continue to remain in effect while they pursue their immigration cases. Albuquerque resident Abbas Al-Sokaini, who has lived in New Mexico since 1996 and is married to a U.S. citizen, is a named plaintiff in the lawsuit.
The following quote may be attributed to ACLU of New Mexico Staff Attorney Maria Martinez Sanchez:
“Today’s decision gives the 1,400 Iraqis currently facing deportation a fighting chance to avoid the potential persecution, torture, or death that awaits them in Iraq. The United States has always been a place of refuge for people seeking freedom and safety from persecution. Deporting men and women, many of whom have lived here for decades, into certain danger is unconscionable and a stain on our character. This important reprieve will provide the 1,400 Iraqis covered under our lawsuit a better opportunity to seek legal representation and make their case to a judge why being deported could be a death sentence. “
