Forgotten inside Iraq
When Deportation Means Death
By Sarah Kittle
In 2017, the Trump administration escalated the deportation of Iraqi nationals, including many who had lived in the metro Detroit area for decades. These individuals had been convicted of felonies in the past, preventing them from becoming US citizens. They were here legally, but America under Trump didn’t want them.
Many had been here their whole lives; some were just children when they fled Iraq for their own safety with their families. Although international law prohibits forced deportation to countries that threaten the deportees, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) proceeded to send them back to chaos and unrest.
We all remember Jimmy Aldaoud, who died in Iraq because of complications from diabetes. He had no family and knew no one in Iraq. He didn’t even speak the language. Jimmy couldn’t get help or treatment for his illness, and he was gone at the age of 41 as a result. He had never even been to Iraq but was born in Greece to Iraqi Christian refugees.
Jimmy suffered from mental illness as well, a trait he shares with many people who have trouble with the law.
Opposition to the 2017 deportations was an issue that local Democrats and Republicans could agree on. Representatives Andy Levin (D) and John Moolenaar (R) co-sponsored bipartisan legislation called the “Deferred Removal for Iraqi Nationals Including Minorities Act.” The bill called for the immediate cessation of deportations and detentions and outlined the dangers these individuals with removal orders would face upon entry into Iraq.
Just recently, another Iraqi Christian who was deported from Michigan to Iraq died under mysterious circumstances there. His name was Sarkun Ablahid. The Chaldean Community Foundation, along with Senator Gary Peters (D), is working to bring his body home so his family can lay him to rest. His mother, Amina Nissan, father Salim, and siblings live in the Macomb County area. Sarkun, who had trouble with the law when he was younger, would have been 34 in July had he lived to see his birthday.
Posts on social media elicit comments, both positive and negative, about Sarkun, named Sargon on his death certificate. The official document lists no place of residence for Sarkun and no cause of death. His place of death is listed as Baghdad.
In the legal document titled “Disposition of Remains Report for Iraq,” under “Country Profile – Religions,” it states that approximately 97 percent of the Iraqi population is Muslim, with 65 percent Shi’a and 32 percent Sunni Muslim. Approximately 3 percent of the population represents other faiths such as Christian, Yezidi, Sabean-Mandaean, Baha’i, Shabak, Kaka’i, and Jewish.
The document goes on to say that in the event of a person’s death, mosques and churches in Iraq can help in providing instructions and in the burial process, praying for the departed’s soul, performing a funeral ceremony, providing information about the process of preparing the deceased, and locating places of burial. However, many Christian churches in Iraq have been destroyed.
The struggle to bring Ablahid home was lessened recently, as the US Embassy in Baghdad provided a letter stating that they do not oppose the CCF’s request to repatriate his remains to Michigan for burial. Initially, they had stated they could not help at all, as Ablahid was an Iraqi national. The process to get this far involved assistance from Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor, Chief Judge Stephen Sierawski, and US Senator Gary Peters and his stellar staff.
The Chaldean News will report on any updates to the story.