Deportation a risk for Iraqi, wife says

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Kurdish man who appears to have only minor criminal convictions woke up to a knock on the door of his Tennessee home a week ago and was whisked away for deportation as part of a roundup of Iraqi nationals.

His wife said he could be killed if he’s sent back to Iraq.

U.S. immigration officials have detained nearly 200 Iraqi nationals living in the U.S., but agency spokesman Thomas Byrd said they are targeting hardened criminals. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained Sarkaut Taro as part of an effort to send Iraqi nationals eligible for deportation back to Iraq under a deal with that country.

But Taro’s family and attorney say he has only two convictions for minor crimes — both for selling alcohol to minors more than 10 years ago when he was still unfamiliar with U.S. laws. And his wife, Bayan, says his resume of films criticizing Iraq’s occupation of Kurdistan and the Islamic State could make him a target if he’s deported to Iraq.

Before the couple left Iraq in 2002 seeking asylum, pro-Saddam Hussein forces killed three of Sarkaut Taro’s brothers, exiled his mother and burned their house, Bayan Taro said. A 2003 asylum hearing coincided with Saddam’s fall from power, so a judge declined the request. Sarkaut Taro was issued an order of removal after his 2004 appeal, but immigration officials permitted the couple to remain in the country until things settled in Iraq, said Charla Haas, the Taros’ attorney. They’re still waiting for Iraq to be safe, Bayan Taro said.

The Iraq deal led to arrests of 114 Iraqi nationals in Detroit last weekend, and 85 others elsewhere in past weeks, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The arrests in Detroit, which focused on Chaldeans, sparked protests and a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. Immigrant advocates have viewed the arrests as part of a broader anti-immigrant push by the Trump administration.