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Detroit Iraqi Assyrians Fearful After Deportation Raids
By Aline Barros
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Nora Youkhana of the CODE Legal Aid clinic in Detroit, co-counsel for the Iraqis in the case, moved to the United States at a young age with her family from Iraq, in Sterling Heights, Michigan, July 31, 2017.
DETROIT (VOA) -- At the Chaldean Community Foundation in Sterling Heights, Michigan, more clients than usual are asking for assistance with their immigration cases. "We're a little overwhelmed with the number of people coming through just because people are very frightened by the [deportation raids]," foundation president Martin Manna said. Advocates say there has been an increase of 10 to 15 percent, and the foundation estimates it will help more than 20,000 people this year. The increased anxiety is a result of the detaining of 114 area Iraqis, mostly Chaldean Christians and some Shi'ite Muslims, in June. The majority of the 114 remain in detention despite the order of a Detroit judge, who ruled they could not be deported without first having their day in court. The order did nothing to calm community fears. Manna said residents are now "very concerned" that they can be deported for "any reason." "Many of these folks were on final order of removal for committing crimes in the 80s or 90s," Manna said. "They came here legally at some point, but either had a misdemeanor or a felony which put them on final order of removal." But the 114 had been under order of removal for many years, so this conservative religious minority, which mostly voted for President Donald Trump, was shocked when the raids took place. "That's why we have 2



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