2 immigrant activists facing deportation speak out

http://m.democracynow.org/stories/17105

The Department of Homeland Security is saying the number of immigrants arrested over the past week has risen to 680. Raids were reported in at 11 states, including California, New York, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin. To talk more about who is being targeted, we are joined by two prominent immigrant rights advocates in New York. Both of them are also immigrants whose criminal records put them at risk of deportation. Abraham Paulos is executive director of Families for Freedom. Ravi Ragbir is executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City. Ragbir faces deportation when he goes to his ICE check-in on March 9.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We turn now to the recent raids on immigrant communities across the United States. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday the number of immigrants arrested over the past week has risen to 680. Raids were reported in at least—in at least 11 states. They included the coastal states of California and New York; several Southern states, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina; and a group of Midwestern states, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin. Officials said of those arrested that 75 percent were, quote, "criminal aliens." They described the raids as "routine." But more people are being detained compared to periods of routine enforcement during the Obama administration. On Monday, President Trump said he was fulfilling a campaign promise.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I said we will get the criminals out, the drug lords, the gang members. We’re getting them out. General Kelly, who’s sitting right here, is doing a fantastic job. And I said, at the beginning, we are going to get the bad ones, the really bad ones. We’re getting them out. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. I think that in the end, everyone is going to be extremely happy.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, here in New York City, immigration agents arrested at least 40 people over the last week, even though it’s a sanctuary city. Officials said 95 percent had criminal convictions.

To talk more about who’s being targeted, we’re joined by two prominent immigrants’ rights activists here in New York. Both of them are also immigrants whose criminal records put them at risk of deportation. Abraham Paulos is executive director of Families for Freedom, which includes many members whose lives have been affected by the intersection of the criminal justice system and immigration enforcement. Also with us, Ravi Ragbir. He’s executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, an interfaith network that helps immigrant families stay together. Ravi faces deportation when he goes to his ICE check-in on March 9th.

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We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Ravi, let’s start with you. Tell us your story and why you face deportation in the next few weeks.

RAVI RAGBIR: Well, like you said, I have a criminal conviction. This was back in 2000. I was convicted for fraud. Basically, what you have—what caused the collapse of the economy and what Mnuchin is now being said, he’s the foreclosure king. I ended up working for one of those organizations. And just following their own rules, I was placed in criminal proceedings, convicted. And now, because of that, I am facing deportation. I have—

AMY GOODMAN: That was more than 15 years ago.

RAVI RAGBIR: This was more than 15 years ago. I have a green card. My wife is a citizen. My daughter is a citizen. And, you know, it’s—even with that, it still doesn’t change the fact that I am in a high probability that I will be detained and deported.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And how long have you been in the country?

RAVI RAGBIR: I’ve been in the country over 25 years.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And under the Obama administration, what was happening? Because you had the criminal conviction 15 years ago. How were they dealing with it? And what are your worries about the changes under Trump?

RAVI RAGBIR: Well, under the Obama administration, I mean, things were still very difficult. We talked about this being a sanctuary city, and we’re not going to go into that topic right now. But he, himself, has created this machinery, this beast, this monster, that all Trump has to do is release it. And he is releasing it. You asked me what has happened with my case under the Obama administration. Well, there were still certain rules and regulations that they sort of upheld, and one of which is, when I was—while I’m still fighting my case in court, they did not deport me. And I still have my case in court, but under this administration, I’m not sure if that will have—hold any water.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And this New Sanctuary Coalition, my understanding is it was formed almost the day after the election in November? Or—

RAVI RAGBIR: No, no.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: No?

RAVI RAGBIR: No, no, no.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: OK. But talk about coalition then.

RAVI RAGBIR: The coalition was formed in 2007—

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: OK.

RAVI RAGBIR: —under the Bush administration, when we were trying to—when they started this, because they saw the impact it had on the immigrant community, on the faith communities that we—like the old 1980s and the sanctuary of the civil rights and the Holocaust, they had to protect their members, their congregation. And they started in 2007. I took over in 2010. I’m sure you know of the Bring Jean Home Campaign. That’s when I took over. And we mobilized, and we built the sanctuary to protect our people of color immigrants. One of the things that we—you need to notice is that in 2009, when we started ICE Out of Rikers, that’s when the term "sanctuary city" started to come together, because we were the ones who initiated that nondetainer policy, I’m sure, in New York City and which became a model to all of the country.

He has a green card? Wow

This is the deportation force.

They got fraud convictions....