Close X
Friday, December 20, 2024
ADVT 
International

US Judge Orders Release Of Indian-American Immigration Activist Ravi Ragbir

IANS, 30 Jan, 2018 01:17 PM

    A US judge has ordered immediate release of prominent Indian-descent immigration activist Ravi Ragbir and granted him a temporary reprieve from deportation to his native Trinidad and Tobago, saying his detention was unnecessarily cruel.

     

    Ragbir, 43, was arrested on January 12 during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and ordered immediate deportation, irking local community in New York.

     

    In a seven-page decision, Manhattan Federal Court Judge Katherine Forrest on Monday said the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated Ragbir’s rights by denying him due process and “the freedom to say goodbye”.

     

    Forrest said Ragbir’s sudden and “unnecessary detention” after living in the US “without incident, reporting as required to immigration authorities and building a home, a family, and a community was wrong”.

     

    Forrest said Ragbir should have been given time to organise his affairs before being taken in custody.

     

    “There is, and ought to be in this country, the freedom to say goodbye. That is, freedom to hug one’s spouse and children, the freedom to organise the myriad of human affairs that collect over time.”

     

    “It ought not to be–and it has never before been–that those who have lived without incident in this country for years are subjected to treatment we associated with regimes we revile as unjust, regimes where those who have long lived in a country may be taken away without notice from streets, home, and work. And sent away,” Forrest said amidst cheers from the supporters of Ragbir who had gathered at the courthouse.

     

    Ragbir arrived in the US from Trinidad and Tobago in 1991 on a visitor’s visa. He became a lawful permanent resident in 1994.

     

    According to New York Immigration Coalition, Ragbir, a Brooklyn resident and executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York, has been under the threat of deportation for nearly a decade following a conviction for wire fraud in 2001.

     

    He was placed into removal proceedings in 2006 and spent 22 months in immigration detention before being released in February 2008.

     

    During immigration detention and since his release, Ragbir has devoted his life to the lives of immigrants, working tirelessly to end the use of immigration detention, stop deportations and secure relief for countless individuals.

     

    Known as a fixture in the immigrant rights movement, Ragbir was awarded the 2017 Immigrant Excellence Award by the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, given to those who show “deep commitment to the enhancement of their community”.

     

    The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency called Ragbir “an aggravated felon” in reference to his wire fraud conviction and said it was “actively exploring” an appeal against the ruling.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian Navy's All Women Sailing Vessel Sails Off From Australia

    Indian Navy's All Women Sailing Vessel Sails Off From Australia
    Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini left Australia's Fremantle on Sunday morning for its onwards journey to New Zealand's Lyttleton, a defence statement said.

    Indian Navy's All Women Sailing Vessel Sails Off From Australia

    Ex-Gitmo Captive Djamel Ameziane Set To Sue Canada For $50 Million For Alleged Complicity In Torture

    Ex-Gitmo Captive Djamel Ameziane Set To Sue Canada For $50 Million For Alleged Complicity In Torture
    An Algerian man is set to sue the federal government for the abuses he says he suffered at the hands of American security forces after he left Canada 15 years ago.

    Ex-Gitmo Captive Djamel Ameziane Set To Sue Canada For $50 Million For Alleged Complicity In Torture

    Justin Trudeau Calls Texas Church Shooting 'Senseless And Horrific Act Of Violence'

    Trudeau issued a statement Sunday night saying it is appalling that the attack happened at a place of worship, where people should have felt safe.

    Justin Trudeau Calls Texas Church Shooting 'Senseless And Horrific Act Of Violence'

    Little Progress In Alberta Model's Suspected Kidnapping In South Carolina

    Little Progress In Alberta Model's Suspected Kidnapping In South Carolina
    A South Carolina man charged with kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct after an Alberta woman was lured to the United States with the promise of a modelling job remains behind bars.

    Little Progress In Alberta Model's Suspected Kidnapping In South Carolina

    When Donald Trump Greeted Sikhs On Gurpurab

    When Donald Trump Greeted Sikhs On Gurpurab
    US President Donald Trump greeted the Sikhs on the occasion of Gurpurab - the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the faith, saying the community exemplifies the fundamental values that all Americans share.

    When Donald Trump Greeted Sikhs On Gurpurab

    Trump's Ex-Aide May Flip To Avoid Harsh Sentence: Preet Bharara

    Trump's Ex-Aide May Flip To Avoid Harsh Sentence: Preet Bharara
    t's not a lifetime in prison but it's a substantial prison sentence and I expect that Paul Manafort and his lawyers are talking about the idea of cooperating

    Trump's Ex-Aide May Flip To Avoid Harsh Sentence: Preet Bharara