Obama Administration Deports Persecuted Chaldean Christians Fleeing ISIS

Twelve of the 27 Iraqi Christians being detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Facility are set to be deported in coming weeks, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday. 

An immigration judge ordered their removal in the last two weeks, ICE spokeswoman Lauren Mack said. She declined to provide specific information about why the immigrants are being deported and where they will be taken, citing privacy issues. 

Typically, unauthorized immigrants who face deportation are returned to the country where they were living before entering the United States. 

It’s likely that most of the Chaldeans will be deported to such countries as Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, known to provide safe haven to Iraqi refugees. 

A group of 27 Iraqi Christians — also known as Chaldeans — has been detained in Otay for about six months as their immigration cases proceed, according to local activists and family members. 

The Chaldeans were detained by immigration authorities after they attempted to cross the U.S. border through the San Ysidro Port of Entry without documentation several months ago. 

Thousands of Chaldeans have fled Iraq in recent years, escaping persecution in the Middle East at the hands of the Islamic State terrorist group, also known as ISIS. 

Lundon Attisha, spokesman for the Neighborhood Market Association, said he and other Chaldean leaders were advised by the attorneys representing the detainees not to comment on the issue. 

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