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Chaldean Community Foundation

Martin Manna is president of the Chaldean
from ISIS and, unfortunately, from the Iraqi state
Community Foundation, which provides needed
itself. A Shi’ite cleric, a member of the Iraqi gov-
services to the Chaldean community. It has two
ernment, has recently declared that Christians are
immigration attorneys and two other profes-
infidels and proposed that all Christians be
sionals working full time for individuals in
given the choice of leaving Iraq without their
the process of immigration and has helped
property or of converting to Islam.
process more than 3,000 applications.
The U.S. State Department has issued a
The Chaldean Community Foundation is
warning, declaring Iraq unsafe for American
actively involved in efforts to protect Iraqi
citizens. “The ICE argument depends on
detainees, most of whom (120) have been
claiming that Iraq has stabilized and become
released on bond. About 70 detainees in
safe, but our own State Department declares
Ohio and Michigan remain in ICE custody.
the opposite,” Manna says.
Martin Manna
All still face the threat of deportation.
Manna is also asking for Temporary
“After the presidential election, we antici-
Protective Status because of the continuing
pated our worst fears,” Manna says. The Foundation
threat. In addition, he asks, to where would these
had a legal defense fund at the ready and retained
people be deported? “Christian villages in Iraq have
attorneys from the Ashcroft Law Firm and Honigman
been destroyed and depopulated,” he says.
Miller.
Finally, he is asking that ICE release the remain-
On June 13, two days after the arrests, the
ing detainees under supervision. “Why should U.S.
Chaldean Community Foundation hosted a meeting of taxpayers pay for incarcerating these people who
relevant institutions and individuals and remains “up
are not flight risks at all? They have families and
to the task of responding to the crisis,” says Manna,
businesses in Michigan; they have deep roots in
who has met President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Gen.
the community — and they pay taxes themselves.
John Kelly, and other officers of the U.S. govern-
Besides, they are the opposite of flight risks: They are
ment. He is in almost daily contact with Michigan
fighting to remain just where they are,” he says. •
Rep. Sandy Levin and is in ongoing dialogue with the
Martin Manna is president of the Chaldean Community
ambassador of Iraq to the U.S.
Foundation and Chaldean American Chamber of
Manna is asking the courts for Deferred Enforced
Commerce.
Departure, which could be granted because Iraqi
Christians are subject to a threat of genocide, both

Economic Impact Of Immigrants

Steve Tobocman is the executive director of Global
Tobocman adds that refugee policy should be
Detroit, an economic development organization.
driven by humanitarian concerns. “My grandparents
Last year, it released two years of
came to the United States from Europe
research with the Ford School of Public
from desperate conditions in Europe over a
Policy at the University of Michigan to docu-
century ago,” he says. “If they had stayed,
ment that in the prior decade of resettle-
they would likely have been murdered in
ment, immigrants contributed an estimated
Nazi death camps along with their friends
$230 million to $295 million in additional
and relatives who stayed.”
economic activity in Southeast Michigan,
He adds that refugees represent an eco-
meaning thousands of additional jobs.
nomic benefit for our region. “The region
“We announced the study’s debut at the
cannot anticipate prospering without a
Steve Tobocman
Chaldean Cultural Center because 90 per-
growing population. And the only way to
cent of the refugees resettled into Southeast
achieve a growing population is through
Michigan were Chaldean and because of the
immigration. According to the last two
tremendous genocide that Chaldeans have experi-
censuses, all local growth has come through (inter-
enced over the past decade,” Tobocman says.
national) immigration, not through natural birthrate
According to Tobocman, immigrants come here
or through domestic migration.” •
to escape violence — often violence based on reli-
Steve Tobocman is the executive director of Global Detroit
gious identity. They quickly become integrated into
and co-chair of the Welcoming Economies (WE) Global
the community and their children become educated
Network. He is the managing partner at New Solutions
professionals. “The statistics on the Chaldean com-
Group LLC. Finally, he co-directs the Michigan Political
munity are phenomenal,” he says. “I think the per-
Leadership Program at MSU.
centage of families owning two or more businesses
exceeds 30 percent.”

18

April 12 • 2018

jn

DANGERS IN IRAQ

The team fighting the deportation orders has an acute
sense of the danger faced by Iraqi-Americans if they get
sent back to Iraq. The U.S. State Department posted a “do
not travel to Iraq” advisory on Jan. 10, 2018.
“For detainees, it is a life-or-death case,” Steinberg says.
“But for our ability to get an injunction, these people will
get returned to Iraq, where they may well be persecuted,
tortured or killed.
“People who have lived in the United States for
decades are Americans,” he adds. “They will be perceived
as Americans in the eyes of Iraqis. Whether they are
Christian or Muslim, they face grave danger.”
According to Steinberg, an additional threat hangs
over Christians. “Chaldeans in Iraq have been perse-
cuted. Those who live there now are in grave danger,
targeted by various extremist groups; deportees from the
USA would be prime targets.”
Hamama, for example, could never just smoothly transi-
tion into the Iraqi public. He does not even speak Arabic,
according to the ACLU. Speaking his native language,
Aramaic, would identify him as a Christian at once.

FIGHTING DETENTION

Once the team succeeded in pausing the deportations,
the next step was to fight detention. After being taken in
June, ICE held Sam Hamama in detention for more than
six months — and wanted to hold him in detention until
he could be deported. The same was true for nearly all the
other 300 detainees.
So, the ACLU attorneys went back into U.S. District
Court and argued that the Constitution forbids detention
without an individualized hearing justifying that detention
is necessary. Again, they won: Judge Goldsmith ordered
the government to hold individualized bond hearings.
For Sam Hamama, ICE attorneys argued that he was a
flight risk, even though he has a home in West Bloomfield,
a business and extensive ties in the area. Immigration
Judge Mark Jebson granted a bond of $100,000, and
Hamama was released on Feb. 2, 2018. He still faces the
threat of deportation, but he doesn’t have to fight his case
from jail. All told, about half the detainees have gotten
released on bond. This order, too, will be reviewed by the
Court of Appeals this spring.

KEEPING THE FAMILIES INFORMED

“The Hamama litigation team, including CODE Legal, held
a dinner on March 3 for the families of detainees, especial-
ly for those who are still held in custody, to update them
on developments in the case,” Schlanger says. “Members of
our congregation baked hamentashen for dessert for the
meal.”
Youkhana appreciated the gesture. “It was just the
sweetest thing,” she says. “They went to the trouble of
making all these pastries for us. It was such a touching
example of interfaith cooperation. And the pastries were
delicious.”
Yousif Kalasho reflects on the process: “We never con-
sidered the extent to which our involvement would lead.
It was more a matter of responsibility toward the com-
munity. Within days, organizing turned to action, despair
turned to hope, and a small legal aid clinic housed in a
school became co-counsel to a federal case that could
define our country’s moral duty of human rights and due
process.” •