A US appeals court upheld President Donald Trump's attempts to deport about 100 Iraqi migrants convicted of crimes years ago, Human Rights Watch criticized the deportation order. 

The Court of Appeals of the Sixth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling preventing the US administration from trying to return migrants to Iraq, nor did a federal judge in Michigan agree that migrants had the opportunity to hold bail hearings.

Human Rights Watch criticized the US authorities' deportation of more than 30 people to Iraq , with some threatening to jail if they did not agree to be deported. 

"The United States authorities have deported at least 30 people to Iraq, out of a total of 1,000 and 400 of Iraqi origin, with some threatening long prison terms," ​​the report said. 

"In all cases, deportees lack valid identity documents, putting them at risk of arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in Iraq," the US-based organization said. 

The organization noted in its statement that "

"The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency has to stop all deportations of Iraqis until they have guarantees that they will not be arrested and ill-treated," said the deputy director of the Middle East division of the organization, Ma Fakih. 

The US administration detained Iraqis last year as part of an expanded effort to promote immigration laws across the country. The authorities had ordered the deportation of many Iraqis years or decades ago for criminal offenses, but their country refused to receive them. 

Iraqis challenged their detention and deportation decisions. 

In November, US judge Mark Goldsmith of Michigan ordered the US administration to release anyone detained for more than six months at a time when the US government sought deportation orders.

The US government said it had struck an agreement with Iraq to welcome the deportees, but Goldsmith criticized the Trump administration's decision, saying it issued "clearly false" statements about cooperation with the Iraqi government. 
Two judges from three judges in the Court of Appeal ruled out Goldsmith's ruling, saying the District Court was not competent to decide on deportation orders overseen by the Minister of Justice and immigration courts.