UPDATED JANUARY 12, 2018

On January 11, 2018, Ravi Ragbir, a nationally recognized immigrant rights leader and Executive Director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, was detained while reporting to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for a routine check-in.

Upon his detention, Mr. Ragbir’s attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging ICE’s actions in federal court in downtown Manhattan (Ragbir v. Sessions, No. 18-cv-00236, S.D.N.Y.). A copy of the lawsuit is available here. The federal court has ordered a hearing on January 29, 2018, to consider whether the actions of ICE are lawful, and issued both a temporary stay of removal and a temporary order preventing Mr. Ragbir’s transfer away from his family and counsel in the New York region pending consideration of the case. However, ICE’s detainee locator system currently lists Mr. Ragbir as being detained at Krome Detention Facility in Florida. Mr. Ragbir’s family and community supporters continue to demand Mr. Ragbir’s immediate release, and Mr. Ragbir’s lawyers are working to ensure his return to the New York region and his family.

UPDATE: Because Mr. Ragbir remains in Florida, Mr. Ragbir’s lawyers filed a motion to enforce the court’s temporary order preventing transfer from the New York region. The government filed a motion to vacate both the temporary stay and the temporary order regarding the transfer. A hearing on these motions will be held on January 16, 2018.

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