A U.S. judge heard arguments on Wednesday to halt the deportations of around 100 Iraqis arrested by immigration authorities in the Detroit area because many belong to minorities and could face torture or religious persecution in their homeland.
In a coordinated sweep in recent weeks, immigration authorities moved to detain Iraqi immigrants around the country who had final deportation orders and convictions for serious crimes. The roundup followed Iraq's agreement to accept deportees, as part of a deal that removed the country from President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban signed in March.
Some of those affected came to the United States as children and committed their crimes decades ago, but they had been allowed to stay because Iraq previously declined to issue travel documents for them. That changed after the two governments came to an agreement on March 12.