Amendments for relief
Amendments for relief Community leaders and elected officials work to amend Immigration and Nationality Act BY ASHOURINA SLEWO Congressman John Moolenaar In response to the raids carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in June of last year, several elected officials and community leaders have come forward to help, with some even mobilizing efforts to help those at risk of deportation. Currently, the foundation has spearheaded efforts to amend the 212(c) Immigration and Nationality Act. “Congressman John Moolenaar is leading efforts in Congress. He may co-sponsor the amendment,” said Martin Manna, president of the Chaldean Community Foundation. Congressman Moolenaar has worked closely with Manna and the Chaldean Community Foundation in these efforts. Moolenaar penned a piece for the Chaldean News last month explaining his efforts as he introduced a bipartisan House Resolution that would halt deportations if passed. Twelve members of the House co-sponsored the resolution. Additionally, Moolenaar has continued to work closely with the Chaldean Community Foundation in finding a way to aid those that continue to be at risk for deportation. The foundation believes that amending the 212 (c) Immigration and Nationality Act “may provide relief to Iraqi Christian Nationals that are currently at-risk of deportation.” The 212(c) waiver is intended for lawful permanent residents who are deemed deportable by the United States. Typically, lawful permanent residents are deemed deportable after having committed a crime. An individual placed in deportation proceedings as a result of criminal activity could, through a 212(c) waiver, have their convictions waived and avoid deportation. In addition to avoiding deportation, the 212(c) waiver would make a lawful permanent resident eligible to retain their status in the United States. Applicants must establish that they have been continuously resident for at least seven years since their admission to the United States. Additionally, if the applicant was convicted for an aggravated felony, a sentence of five or more years was not served. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, those seeking relief through the 212(c) waiver must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible: • Lawful permanent resident of the United States or was a lawful permanent resident before getting a final order of removal. • The alien is returning to lawful, un-relinquished domicile of seven consecutive years, OR b) the former lawful permanent resident had established lawful, un-relinquished do- 18 CHALDEAN NEWS JUNE 2018
A New Hope The 2018 Iraqi Election BY MONIQUE MANSOUR micile of at least seven consecutive years before getting their final order of removal. • Alien is not inadmissible on terrorism or national security grounds and is not unlawfully present after previous immigration violations. • Alien would not have been barred from applying for 212(c) due to their pleas based on the law that existed at the time the pleas were entered into. • Convicted of an aggravated felony or firearms offense and a sentence of more than five years imprisonment was not served for that conviction. Previous amendments of this waiver included lawful permanent residents convicted between 1990-1997, and 2010. The foundation is working towards an amendment that would include those convicted prior to 2014. In a memo to Moolenaar, Manna states that, “We are working with Congressional leaders to follow historical precedent and amend Section 212(c) of the INA that provides relief from deportation or removal for aliens with certain criminal convictions in a particular timeframe… This would also set forth procedures and deadlines for filing special motions to seek such relief from a judge for those currently in proceedings or under final orders of deportation or removal. Members of the community have been granted relief under 212 (c) on an individual basis by judges adjudicating the case.” Manna estimates that 85 percent of community members currently at risk of deportation will qualify for the waiver if it is amended. While they would still have to win their overall case, he believes the waiver is a better option than the Conventions Against Torture (CAT). “The CCF has always advocated for our community,” explained Manna. “Several community members approached us about the idea. It will allow several others to be considered for a 212c waiver.” On Saturday, May 12, Iraqis casted their votes for the nation’s fourth election since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In the days prior to the election, on May 10 and on May 11, Iraqis living outside of the nation had the opportunity to vote. Shoki Konja of Franklin, Michigan, and Director of the Chaldean Voice Radio, was one of those people. He voted in Warren, Michigan at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Chaldean Church. “It was an incredible, exhilarating feeling to be able to vote in this election and to have some sort of say in the process. My stained finger is proof that there is hope for Iraq,” said Konja. “I’m very invested in the Iraqi election and in the results that will follow,” said Konja. “There is no doubt that Iraq needs to be rebuilt. Iraq was once a wealthy country, rich with natural resources. Unfortunately, corruption has destroyed the nation. We are in an extremely decisive moment now that ISIS is continuing to dwindle in numbers. We can kiss Iraq goodbye if we don’t come together now in this very moment.” Currently, the Iraqi government provides for 329 parliamentary seats. Out of those 329 seats, five are specifically allotted to parliament members of Christian faith. It’s important to note that the Christians can come from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds — including, but not limited to — Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Armenians, to name a few. “I don’t think it’s right that only five seats are allotted to Christians,” said Konja. “Chaldeans are the original Iraqis and our collective voices should play a major part in the efforts to help rebuild Iraq.” Konja made it a point to research the candidates running for the five seats. He was very impressed by the Chaldeans competing for them. “All of the Chaldeans were from scholarly and highly educated backgrounds. Engineers and other professionals. This is great news for us because these are exactly the type of people we need to represent us and play a major role in the reconstruction of our beloved Iraq,” said Konja. It was evident that for Iraqi-Chaldeans living outside of Iraq, the election did not feel as urgent, relevant, or relatable as the voter turnout was at the lowest since 2003. According to the Brookings Institution, there was only a 44.5 percent voter turnout. “Even though we may be Chaldeans living in the United States or elsewhere, we still have our people back home in Iraq and they’re depending on us. Never forget, as Chaldeans, we’re the original people of Iraq. We still have a lot of Christians there. We need to rebuild our villages and our churches. We need to desperately raise our voices. They need to be heard in Iraq, in the Middle East, and around the world,” said Konja. Konja and others closely watching the election were disappointed by the voter turnout. “The numbers were lower than what we expected, for sure. I can understand why Iraqis felt disillusioned and powerless, especially after all of the turmoil and corruptions they’ve been through and have witnessed first-hand. Hopefully, as the years progress, we’ll see development and advancement in Iraq, and the election numbers will rise in the future,” said Konja. According to news reports, the final results show that two of the five seats allotted for Christians have been won by Aswan Salem Sawa in the electoral province of Nineveh and Burhanuddin Ishak Ibrahim in the province of Baghdad; both are said to be a part of the Babylon Brigades movement. Rihan Hanna Ayoub won the seat in the province of Kirkuk, Immanuel Khoshaba won the seat in the province of Dohuk, and Hoshyar Karadag Yelda won the seat in Erbil. JUNE 2018 CHALDEAN NEWS 19
