STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA RALLIES STATE COLLEAGUES TO SIGN ON TO AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TARGETED BY ICE

State Senator Gustavo Rivera was one of 50 elected officials to sign on to an amicus curiae brief filed in Ragbir v. Homan. Senator Rivera led the effort to have the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus and 21 members of the New York State Legislature sign on to the brief, which condemns the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) persecution of immigrant rights leaders as a violation of the First Amendment and warns that such retaliatory targeting is deeply harmful to our democratic system. The lawsuit comes after immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir was arrested and detained by ICE and scheduled for deportation. He has since been granted a temporary stay of removal.
 
“This administration is actively targeting immigration activists in order to silence them. That is both undemocratic and unacceptable. I thank my colleagues in the New York State Legislature who joined me in resisting the predatory practices of this administration in an effort to protect the rights of all of our constituents, whether they are a citizen or not. I am happy to offer my support to Ravi, who in spite of having his first amendment rights infringed on by the federal government, continues to fight for the rights of all immigrants.” 

To read the amicus curiae brief, please visit: https://ravidefense.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/electeds-amicus-brief-ragbir-v-homan.pdf