The ACLU-NJ filed a federal class action lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order halting the deportations of Indonesian Christian residents of Central Jersey. The ACLU-NJ argued that the class members needed more time to file and receive decisions on motions to re-open their immigration cases because of increasingly perilous conditions for Christians in Indonesia. The ACLU-NJ contended that the summary deportation of these longtime community members violates due process and deprives them of the opportunity to argue their case for asylum. U.S. law prohibits removal of people who would likely face persecution or torture, a risk that courts have ruled Christians, especially of Chinese descent, would encounter in Indonesia.
On February 2, 2018, a federal district court judge granted a temporary restraining order halting their deportations while the court determined whether it had jurisdiction to address the claims in the lawsuit.
