When the government wrongly deports people, coming back to the US is almost impossibleHerberth Cortez Gaitan waited 16 years for his asylum application to be processed and rejected. It took nine more years for the courts to decide to deport him. But, as it turned out, four months later, a US federal appeals court found that the… Jul 26 18July 26, 2018Article at The World from PRX
In New York, volunteers engage in a quiet form of advocacy for immigrants facing deportationWhile New Yorkers were organizing a weekend protest across the Brooklyn Bridge against family separations at the southern border, about 160 congregants of East End Temple in Gramercy Park, Lower Manhattan, gathered on Wednesday, June 27, to hear… Jul 04 18July 04, 2018Article at The World from PRX
Liberia was founded by people enslaved in the US. Advocates say the US should not end an immigration program that helps them.Louise Stevens works two jobs to pay the mortgage and put her daughter Elouise, a DACA recipient, through college in Minneapolis. She didn’t expect that her own immigration status is what would cause the most doubt for their future. Stevens has… Mar 26 18March 26, 2018Article at The World from PRX
An immigrant detainee is sent over 1,000 miles away from his family and lawyer — and fights to returnThe last time Amy Gottlieb sat next to her husband was in the ambulance that was taking him to a hospital in lower Manhattan. Immigration agents told her to get out first. “When I saw them drive away, I actually thought they were driving him to… Jan 24 18January 24, 2018Article at The World from PRX
A prominent immigrant advocate has been detained by immigration agents in New York CityUnder a cloudy sky, Ravi Ragbir quietly reported for his scheduled check-in with immigration authorities at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan on Thursday morning. It is the same office where he has attended each of his routine meetings for… Jan 11 18January 11, 2018Article at The World from PRX
DACA recipients saw their mental health improve. Now, advocates fear its end will have the opposite effect.Karla Ornelas remembers the moment when she received her DACA card in the fall of 2012. The rush of emotions, the sense of hope, the embrace of acceptance. For the first time since growing up in the shadows in California’s Central Valley, she had… Nov 22 17November 22, 2017Article at The World from PRX
The Supreme Court is considering whether immigrants detained for more than six months should have a chance at bailGretta Soto Moreno, 44, a trans woman asylum-seeker from Mexico, spent nearly three years in immigration custody and endured constant abuse. But when she was released on bond on March 7, 2016, things started to improve. Soto Moreno was released… Oct 04 17October 04, 2017Article at The World from PRX
Immigration limbo is a ‘tug of emotions.’ It’s also a mental health issue.He’s walking on the edge of an abyssal, black lake, painfully aware of what lies beneath the water. Ominous waves keep crashing ashore, reaching for him. That’s how Ravi Ragbir sees the trauma that engulfs his long and scarring deportation battle. It… Aug 22 17August 22, 2017Article at The World from PRX
As immigration detention soars, 2.3 million people are also regularly checking in with immigration agentsMillions of immigrants in the US are under some sort of supervision by the Department of Homeland Security. They regularly report to deportation officers about updates to their immigration court cases, the status of their foreign passports, perhaps a… May 23 17May 23, 2017Article at The World from PRX
It's good news and bad news for an immigrant advocate facing deportationRavi Ragbir is a popular immigrant organizer in New York City. He’s been running the New York City Sanctuary Coalition for nearly a decade, and supporting migrants who are either detained or threatened with removal. But now his own private struggle… Mar 10 17March 10, 2017Article at The World from PRX
Here's how one New Yorker is helping immigrants — himself included — with government check-insRavi Ragbir spent a big part of his morning one day last week asking people who were filing into a New York City federal building a simple question. “What’s going on? Do you need help?” He stood near the Worth Street entrance of the Jacob K. Javits… Mar 07 17March 07, 2017Article at The World from PRX
To protect their immigrant residents under Trump, some cities are arming them with lawyersNo one knows for certain what President-elect Donald Trump will do to keep his pledge to deport millions of unauthorized immigrants when he takes office. There is, however, a general consensus that removals will rise sharply under his administration.… Jan 05 17January 05, 2017Article at The World from PRX
In New York City, lawyers make all the difference for immigrant detainees facing deportationThere’s something about our immigration court system that many people don’t realize: Immigrants have no right to counsel. When someone faces a judge, but does not have or cannot afford an attorney, there are no public defenders to pick up the… Sep 20 16September 20, 2016Article at The World from PRX
Odds against him, here's how this New York City student made it to collegeDarwin Cuya never thought that he would make it. It didn’t seem possible. He was wheeling his landlord to a dialysis clinic in lieu of rent and depending on his brother for food, all without his parents around to support him. And he was going to… Jul 05 16July 05, 2016Article at The World from PRX
She fled abuse in Mexico, and now this trans woman says she was abused in immigration detention tooAfter more than two years in immigration detention, Gretta Soto Moreno made a deep wound in her male genitalia and wrote in blood on the white wall of the prison cell: “No more violence on trans women.” “I was losing my mind,” says Soto Moreno, 43,… Apr 14 16April 14, 2016Article at The World from PRX
Many women seeking asylum in the US have been released from detention — but with ankle monitorsJulia’s young daughters run around looking for a plug to recharge the battery for her ankle bracelet. The first one doesn’t work, or the second. What if mom’s monitor goes off? Arany’s face tenses up as she darts toward another wall socket at the far… Mar 10 16March 10, 2016Article at The World from PRX
For African cooks, one New Jersey farmer has what they needTomatoes, corn, and peaches are the staples of New Jersey agriculture. But at Morris Gbolo’s farm in the state’s southern tip, crimson-hued amaranths and plump Liberian bitter ball are the prized crops. Gbolo, 56, grew these same crops back home in… Dec 07 15December 07, 2015Article at The World from PRX
