Dozens of House Democrats are calling on President Trump to halt deportations of Iraqi nationals following reports than an Iraqi-born diabetic man who spent most of his life in the U.S. died after being deported and then was unable to obtain insulin.
The man, Jimmy Aldaoud, who was brought to the U.S. as a toddler, had reportedly also been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, which advocates have said led to the criminal conviction that led to his deportation.
{mosads}“He already faced tremendous danger in a country that was completely foreign to him, as he was entirely Americanized and a Chaldean Christian, a religious minority that is highly persecuted in Iraq,” the 41 House Democrats wrote.
“However, to force a man living with chronic illnesses into an unknown country without adequate access to life-sustaining medicine is nothing short of a death sentence. Jimmy’s death was a direct and predictable result of his deportation, and we are horrified that this cruelty was perpetrated on our watch,” they added.
Aldaoud’s deportation followed a decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year that allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and deport Iraqi nationals, despite calls from lawmakers in both parties to halt the process, the letter stated.
For example, in April, more than 20 members of Congress wrote to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security asking for the deportations and detentions to be deferred.
The same month, Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.), who signed the letter, joined Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) in passing the letter on to Vice President Pence due to his history of advocating for the protection of Christian minorities abroad.
Levin and Moolenaar have similarly reached out to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the issue, according to the letter.
“All of these requests have gone unanswered beyond a cursory acknowledgment. Your Administration’s total failure to act calls into question its stated interest in protecting religious minorities, especially Christians, from persecution, and underscores the horrific consequences of your immigration policies,” the letter states.
Signers of the letter include Levin and Reps. André Carson (D-Ind.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ted Deutch (D-Fla.).
The Hill has reached out to the White House as well as Pence’s office and the State Department for comment.