BOSTON � A federal judge has put a hold on the deportation of local Indonesians, including a Somersworth couple who were scheduled to leave the country on Wednesday.

Attorneys representing the 69 local Indonesian Christians facing deportation went before Chief Judge Patti Saris at the U.S. District Court in Boston late Tuesday morning seeking to have the cases considered a class-action and asking for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to hold off the deportations.

Nixon Peabody LLP attorney Ronaldo Rauseo-Ricupero explained that members of the local Indonesian immigrant community fled religious persecution, but were denied asylum in the United States. Over the past few months, as they have been reporting in at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, they have been told to buy airline tickets to return to Indonesia.

Rauseo-Ricupero told the judge that Freddy and Poppy Sombah, of Somersworth, were told to show up Wednesday at Logan Airport where they�ll be flown to Chicago and then Jakarta.

He explained that a deal was made through U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen�s office in 2009-'10 whereby these people were enticed to come out of hiding with the understanding that they could stay under orders of supervision. He referred to the program as, "Operation Indonesian Surrender."

Saris said she was not prepared to rule on the class action status, but would consider enjoining the cases. She ordered a stay of removal, which states that (ICE) is "prohibited from removing or causing the removal from the U.S. all named plaintiffs."

In a statement released on Tuesday, Shaheen said she is tremendously relieved that the court issued the injunction that delays deportation for members of the state�s Indonesian community.

"The court�s action today provides valuable time to continue making the case for why the Indonesian community should remain in New Hampshire. These individuals are our friends and neighbors. They�ve learned our language, found employment, raised their families and are integral members of their communities," Shaheen said. "It�s unconscionable that we would needlessly separate these families and put them in danger by sending them to a country where religious persecution is a very real threat. I continue to call on immigration officials to use their discretion to allow the Indonesian community to remain safe in New Hampshire."

During the hearing, much of the discussion centered on the Shaheen agreement. U.S. Attorney Michael Sady said that while he did not have the details, it must have been approved at some level.

Saris said she wanted to see something in writing.

"There must have been some way that these people were allowed to stay in the country all these years," she said. "We�re not so rogue here in New England that we just do anything we want on our own."

Sady acknowledged the Indonesians were under the orders of supervision, but added that is not a promise allowing them to stay in the country.

U.S. Attorney William Silvis, who was taking part by phone from Washington, D.C., said the agreement does allow people to come out of the shadows, but orders of supervision do not prevent people from being removed from the country and the Indonesians have had plenty of time to file appeals.

But, the judge disagreed.

"Why would they?" Saris asked. "They�ve been allowed to stay all along and now suddenly they�re getting the rug pulled out from under them."

Saris said she would stay the deportations assuming she had the authority. "I need time to study this," she said. "This is going to be a long and complicated decision."

The judge issued an order with respect to the Sombahs and then told the attorneys to provide the full list of those covered by Operation Indonesian Surrender.

She gave the government attorneys a week to come up with whatever paperwork exists relative to the orders of supervision deal.

"They�ve been here for years," Saris said. "If it takes a little time to figure it out, that�s fine. There is no reason to be so rush, rush."

According to attorney Dan Deane, of Nixon-Peabody, the court and attorneys will set up a briefing schedule and it should take at least a month before the motions have all been filed; so anyone under this program has at least that long before anything will happen to them.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. also released a statement following Tuesday�s decision.

"While I appreciate that the court has issued an order temporarily protecting members of the Indonesian community, I remain deeply concerned that the Trump Administration is prioritizing the deportation of these members of New Hampshire�s Indonesian community," Hassan stated. "Many of these people came to our country fleeing religious persecution. They have become members of the community, they have worked jobs and paid taxes, and they have raised their families in the Seacoast. I will continue to work closely with thecongressional delegation and do everything I can to protect these Granite Staters."

U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, D-N.H., in a statement, said the hold is the right decision. "My office will continue advocating for these Indonesian families, who are longstanding, valued members of our New Hampshire Seacoast community.�