{"id":2222636,"date":"2024-04-16T17:46:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T21:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congresswoman-called-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-fought-against-removal-of-refugee-charged-with-molesting-child\/"},"modified":"2024-04-16T17:46:56","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T21:46:56","slug":"dem-congresswoman-called-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-fought-against-removal-of-refugee-charged-with-molesting-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congresswoman-called-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-fought-against-removal-of-refugee-charged-with-molesting-child\/","title":{"rendered":"Democratic representative criticizes deportation as &#8216;cruel and unusual punishment,&#8217; opposes removing refugee accused of child molestation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdem-congresswoman-called-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment-fought-against-removal-of-refugee-charged-with-molesting-child%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2222636&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Michigan\u2063 residents express outrage over the death of a woman \u200dallegedly killed by an illegal immigrant in Grand \u2062Rapids.\u200d Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, criticized \u2064for defending an Iraqi refugee accused of\u200d child \u200dmolestation, faced backlash from Michigan \u2063Republicans. Representative Tim\u2062 Walberg condemned protecting illegal immigrant\u2064 sex\u200d offenders and emphasized the importance of a unified stance against such crimes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/topic\/michigan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michigan<\/a> residents express outrage over the death of a young woman who was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/once-deported-illegal-immigrant-charged-with-murder-in-shooting-death-of-25-year-old-michigan-woman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">killed<\/a> allegedly by an illegal immigrant in Grand Rapids, Democratic Congresswoman Hillary Scholten \u2014 whose district covers the city \u2014 is being criticized for her past work attempting to stop the U.S. from deporting an Iraqi refugee charged with child molestation.<\/p>\n<p>Scholten, a freshman congresswoman who flipped her district from Republican to Democrat in 2022, worked as an immigration attorney before she was elected to Congress and once wrote a <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu\/cgi\/viewcontent.cgi?article=2195&#038;context=fac_pubs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">journal article<\/a> for the St. Louis University School of Law where she and her co-author, Maureen Sweeney, called deportation \u201ccruel and unusual punishment.\u201d Scholten\u2019s work as an immigration attorney appeared to reflect her beliefs laid out in the 2011 journal article when, beginning in 2018, she fought to stop the deportation of an Iraqi woman who was charged with molesting a 12-year-old girl, according to court documents first reported on by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themidwesterner.news\/2024\/04\/hillary-scholtens-immigration-leadership-includes-deeming-deportation-cruel-and-unusual-punishment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Midwesterner<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Azal \u201cMary\u201d Saleh, a refugee and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-latest-arrest-its-clear-that-drag-queen-story-hour-is-a-haven-for-child-predators\/\" title=\"After Latest Arrest, It\u2019s Clear That \u2018Drag Queen Story Hour\u2019 Is A Haven For Child Predators\">registered sex offender<\/a> from Iraq, was facing deportation after being charged with molesting a child when Scholten defended her. Saleh appealed her removal order, arguing that she was protected by the Convention Against Torture.<\/p>\n<p>Following The Midwesterner report, Michigan Republicans slammed the congresswoman and anyone seeking to protect illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes from deportation. Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon ripped Scholten on her eponymous <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-tudor-dixon-podcast\/id1678556326\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">podcast<\/a> last weekend, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TudorDixon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">saying<\/a> the Democratic congresswoman \u201cdefends pedophiles, keeps them in this country when they are illegal immigrants, [and] also wants to get ICE out of her county.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Scholten\u2019s fellow Michigan representative, Tim Walberg \u2014 a Republican \u2014 represents a district just south of Scholten\u2019s. Earlier this month, an illegal immigrant from Mexico was <a href=\"https:\/\/wwmt.com\/news\/local\/sturgis-police-home-invasion-sexual-assault-sweet-lake-mobile-home-park-arrest-michigan-police-sheriff-office-saint-joseph-county\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arrested<\/a> for allegedly breaking into a home in Walberg\u2019s district and sexually assaulting two young girls.<\/p>\n<p>Walberg told The Daily Wire in a statement that anyone \u201cworking to keep <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-patrol-nabs-two-illegal-immigrants-previously-deported-for-sexually-assaulting-children\/\" title=\"Border Patrol Nabs Two Illegal Immigrants Previously Deported for Sexually Assaulting Children\">illegal immigrant sex offenders<\/a> in this country is radical and morally wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSadly, Michigan is not immune from violent crime committed by illegal immigrants, whether that be Ruby Garcia\u2019s murder or the sexual assault of two young girls in my district a few weeks ago. Working to keep illegal immigrant sex offenders in this country is radical and morally wrong,\u201d Walberg said. \u201cWe should be projecting a clear, unified message that this is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Scholten has not responded to a Daily Wire request for comment.<\/p>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"sk-tooltip-9096\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1712932862202000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0plT8RRdMy9XUpIhocnjQS\">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/appellate-courts\/ca6\/18-4033\/18-4033-2019-12-12.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">court documents<\/a>, Saleh came to the U.S. as a refugee in 2010 and lived with a foster family in Michigan. While staying with the foster family, Saleh was raped and forced into prostitution, the court documents state. Saleh then moved in with her case worker whose granddaughter later accused Saleh of sexually assaulting her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThough Petitioner contests the truth of these allegations, she pleaded guilty to Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Fourth Degree, Victim Between Ages 13-16, the offense that prompted the instant removal proceedings,\u201d the court documents state.<\/p>\n<p>Saleh fought against the deportation, arguing that \u201cshe would be tortured upon removal to Iraq because of her identity as a female, Christian, Westernized, single mother without family support and with a history of forced prostitution and a criminal record that identifies her as having engaged in homosexual activity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Iraqi refugee\u2019s appeal was denied in part and dismissed in part, but Saleh, now 31 years old, still lives in Lansing, Michigan, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/mspsor.com\/Home\/OffenderDetails\/17dbd2f0-874c-4046-aeb5-ae25d2545d43\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michigan Sex Offender Registry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Scholten has sought to address the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-accuse-biden-of-playing-political-game-over-border-crisis\/\" title=\"House Republicans Accuse Biden of Playing \u2018Political Game\u2019 Over Border Crisis\">illegal immigration crisis<\/a> under President Joe Biden by visiting the southern border earlier this year, calling it a \u201cnational security crisis, a humanitarian crisis, and an economic crisis.\u201d The congresswoman\u2019s district was then rocked by the murder of 25-year-old Ruby Garcia, whose body was found near a Grand Rapids road last month. Brandon Ortiz-Vite, who was deported in 2020 under the Trump administration, was charged with killing Garcia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart breaks for Ruby Garcia and her family as they grapple with this unspeakable tragedy,\u201d Scholten <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wzzm13.com\/article\/news\/border-concerns-ruby-garcia-killed\/69-7455be0e-2b68-490b-b51c-32c60fdda06e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> following Garcia\u2019s murder. \u201cThe individual who committed this heinous crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I\u2019m continuing to push for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-leaders-push-bill-to-import-nurses-not-train-americans\/\" title=\"Republican Leaders Push Bill to Import Nurses, Not Train Americans\">bipartisan immigration reform<\/a> that both secures our border and makes sure that individuals who come to our country are fully vetted to keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michigan residents angered by the death of a woman allegedly by an illegal immigrant in Grand Rapids. Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten faces criticism in her district for trying to prevent the deportation of an Iraqi refugee accused of child molestation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":324,"featured_media":2222637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1459409849-scaled-e1713295779910.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2222636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-1459409849-scaled-e1713295779910.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2222636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2222636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2222637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2222636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2222636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2222636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}