Iraqi Christian Dies After U.S. Deports Him
A Christian Iraqi died Tuesday after the U.S. government deported him in June.
Jimmy Aldaoud, a Chaldean Catholic, was from Detroit and had never lived in Iraq, but his case was one of the many that were dealt with when President Donald Trump’s administration strengthened its immigration enforcement.
Aldaoud allegedly died because he couldn’t gain access to the insulin he needed for his diabetes, according to immigration attorney Edward A. Bajoka.
“Jimmy was found dead today in Iraq,” Bajoka writes on Facebook. “The likely cause of death was not being able to get his insulin. He is a diabetic. He was forcefully deported to Iraq a couple of months ago. He was born in Greece and had never been to Iraq. He knew no one there. He did not speak Arabic. He was a member of the Chaldean minority group. He was a paranoid schizophrenic. His mental health was the primary reason for his legal issues that led to his deportation.
“Rest In Peace Jimmy. Your blood is on the hands of ICE and this administration.”
A large population of Chaldean Catholics live in the Detroit area. The minority faces regular discrimination and persecution in Iraq, where many are in danger of ISIS torturing or killing them, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Before his death, Aldaoud recorded a video to comment on his deportation.
“Immigration agents pulled me over and said I’m going to Iraq,” he says, according to Politico. “I said, ‘I’ve never been there. I’ve been in this country my whole life, since pretty much birth.’ … they refused to listen to me.
“I begged them. I said, ‘Please, I’ve never seen that country. I’ve never been there.’ However, they forced me.”
