A Pioneer Valley resident who has been detained by federal immigration agents since last June is being released.
An immigration judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the release of Niberd Abdalla from the Suffolk County House of Corrections.
Abdalla fled Iraq in the 1970s to escape religious and political persecution and has been in the U.S. ever since that time, most recently living in Northampton.
His attorney says he'll pursue legal remedies to legalize his residency here moving forward.
(Photo by Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images)