Federal Judge Orders Immediate Release of Immigrant Advocate, Decrying ‘Cruel’ Treatment by ICE
U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York
ICE at work? The New York Law Journal reports that a federal judge in New York has ordered the immediate release of a well-known advocate for immigrants and refugees from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying that his detainer amounted to “unnecessary cruelty,” while he awaits deportation for a past criminal conviction.
Granting a habeas petition filed on behalf of Ravi Ragbir, executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest of the Southern District of New York said it was wrong for Ragbir to be taken into custody on January 11 when he went in for a routine checkup with ICE and was whisked away to a detention facility in Miami.
Here is the ruling and more commentary (and here).
KJ