Immigration arrests of dozens of Iraqi Christians prompt protest

DETROIT — The arrests of dozens of Iraqi Christians in southeastern Michigan by U.S. immigration officials appear to be among the first roundups of people from Iraq who have long faced deportation, underscoring rising concerns in other immigrant communities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on Monday declined to say how many were taken into custody, but advocates say at least 40 people were arrested near or at their homes, mostly on Sunday. Roughly 100 people demonstrated Sunday outside a Detroit detention center, many expressing their concern for the arrestees’ safety.

Chaldeans are among Iraqi Christian denominations that emerged in the faith’s early days, and many speak languages similar to those spoken at the time of Christ.

The Detroit area has one of the largest Chaldean communities in the U.S. Longtime demographer Kurt Metzger said a community survey estimated there were roughly 120,000 Chaldeans in and around Detroit.

ICE said in a statement released Monday that all of those arrested had criminal convictions, including for murder, rape, assault, burglary, weapons violations and drug trafficking, and were ordered deported by an immigration judge after “full and fair” proceedings.

Immigration officials said the judge determined they were “ineligible for any form of relief under U.S. law.”

The arrests come amid broader, aggressive immigration policies by the Trump administration. Immigrants who already have deportation orders and were allowed to stay in the country under the prior administration have become a target under President Donald Trump, with some getting arrested on the spot during check-ins with officers.