| A note from the Groundswell team: Ravi is near to the hearts of many who have been involved in the immigrant rights movement over the last decade. The impact of his leadership on the movement cannot be overstated.
Ravi Ragbir was detained today by ICE in New York. We need your help to secure his release. Ravi is a husband, father, and nationally-recognized immigrant rights activist who lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Executive Director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, Ravi works with congregations, schools, community organizations, and legal service providers to ensure that immigrants do not have to go through the immigration system alone. He is a tireless advocate for immigrant rights who works with local and national leaders to ensure just immigration policies. For his outstanding contributions to the community, Ravi was recently awarded the 2017 Immigrant Excellence Award by the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators and the 2017 ChangeMaker Award by South Asian Americans Leading Together. Ravi is married to Amy Gottlieb, an immigrant rights leader herself with the American Friends Service Committee, and is a caring father to his 22-year old daughter, Deborah. Both Amy and Deborah are U.S. Citizens. Ravi's leadership and compassion stem from his own experience in the immigration and criminal legal systems. Ravi came to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago and received lawful permanent residency in 1994. His daughter Deborah was born the next year, 1995. After serving time for a minor criminal conviction, Ravi was detained and placed in removal proceedings in 2006. His conviction prevented the immigration judge from considering his positive equities—including his family and community support—or releasing him from detention. In detention, Ravi met countless other individuals who, like him, had been separated from their families without the opportunity to seek discretion from an immigration judge. When Ravi was eventually released from detention in 2008, he returned to his family and immediately began helping other immigrants facing deportation and detention. His energetic work supporting immigrants and their families has continued to expand over the past decade, as Ravi has become a central pillar of the New York immigrant community. It is critical that Ravi be allowed to remain in the United States, not only to keep his family united, but also so that he may continue this profoundly important and selfless work in the service of others. In Solidarity, Ravi's Defense Committee
P.S. After you've signed and shared, make the following calls immediately and ask others to do the same: Call the following ICE Offices: - NYC ICE Field Office Director: 212-238-4530
- NYC ICE Field Office: 212-264-4213
- ICE Office of Policy: 202-732-4292
Script: "Hi, my name is ___________, and I am calling to request that ICE release Ravi Ragbir, A Number: 044-248-862. Ravi was detained today in New York City. Ravi is a husband, father, and a cherished community leader, and we need him here in the United States. I respectfully ask you to release him from detention and grant him a new stay of removal. Thank you." Call Your Local Elected Officials: If you're connected to New York, call: - Senator Chuck Schumer: 212-486-4430 (NYC); 202-224-6542 (DC)
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: 212-688-6262 (NYC); 202-224-4451 (DC)
Script: "Hello, my name is ___, and I'm calling about Ravi Ragbir, A Number: 044-248-862. Ravi was detained today in New York City. Ravi is a husband, father, and cherished community leader, and we need him here in the United States. I respectfully ask you to meet with DHS Secretary Nielsen and urge her to release Ravi from detention and grant him a new stay of removal. Thank you." | 
