Over 100 Iraqi detainees in metro Detroit remain in detention following their arrest in a sweep, which took place during the summer. But, on 20 December, attorneys went to federal court, attempting to secure their release. Margo Schlanger, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told US District Court Judge, Mark A Goldsmith, that there was no justification for the immigrants to remain in detention.
Schlanger said that their detention does not serve the purpose of removing them from the US, nor does it obviate flight, or any risk, making the purposeless detention unlawful. She added that there is no reason why the immigrants have to remain in detention until their cases are considered.
ACLU attorney, Miriam Aukerman, said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement have locked these people up for no reason, something the government has no right to do. She added that the immigrants have been living and working in their communities for several decades, in some instances, and should be allowed to go back home and be with their families when it could take months, or even years, before the legal system resolves their cases.
In September, a federal judge ruling was appealed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It prevented 1400 Iraqi nationals, including 114 from metro Detroit, across the US from being abruptly deported. Almost all the Iraqi immigrants have outstanding deportation orders, issued after previous criminal convictions.