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Biden grants presidential pardon to NYC immigrant rights leader Ravi Ragbir
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 20, 2025
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Photos courtesy Ravi Ragbir
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 20, 2025
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Ravi Ragbir, a leading voice for immigrant rights in New York City, has been granted a presidential pardon by Joe Biden in the final hours of his presidency.
The pardon, announced Sunday by the outgoing Biden White House, allows Ragbir, a longtime leader in the fight for immigrant justice, to remain in the United States with his wife, Amy Gottlieb, after years of facing the threat of deportation.
He celebrated the life-changing decision, just one day before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, with friends and supporters over "a lot of food and lots of wine," adding he was still processing the dramatic turn of events.
“I am still numb from the news,” Ragbir, 60, said in a phone interview.
It was during Trump’s first administration when Ragbir was arrested and nearly removed from the country.
Ragbir, a U.S. green card holder who moved from Trinidad, faced legal troubles after a 2001 mortgage fraud conviction. His role as executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City brought him national attention, especially following Trump’s election in 2016. In 2018, his detention during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in at the Federal Building in Lower Manhattan led to street protests, with 18 of his supporters arrested outside.
Ragbir said for years he has lived with great uncertainty, knowing “ someone could come and take you away at a moment's notice.”
“In the last few weeks, it has been torture,” he said.
Biden praised Ragbir as one of several clemency recipients who have made “significant contributions to improving their communities.” Ragbir’s pardon follows years of support from New Yorkers, including advocacy groups, unions and elected officials like U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman.
“Advocates, religious organizations, and lawmakers commend his efforts to promote justice and human dignity,” the White House said in a statement.
Ragbir’s attorney, Alina Das, reflected on the long legal battle and community support that helped secure his freedom.
“ That moment when I saw him being handcuffed, when I saw his wife crying, when we pleaded for some sense of humanity and dignity in the process, that was our darkest moment,” said Das, a professor of Clinical Law at NYU School of Law, where she also co-directs the Immigrant Rights Clinic.
But, Das said “the community fought tooth and nail for Ravi to be freed and they won,” and that subsequent efforts by Ragbir and his supporters encouraged the public “to see the dignity and humanity of immigrants.”
The announcement also highlighted Ragbir’s numerous accolades, including awards from the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island and the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators. Advocacy groups like the Immigrant Defense Project celebrated the pardon as a victory for immigrant rights and a rebuke of policies targeting immigrant advocates.
In a separate statement, Ramya Krishnan, senior staff attorney at the Knight Institute, wrote, “Pardoning Mr. Ragbir sends an important message about the constitutional legitimacy of his advocacy and the illegitimacy of targeting immigrants like him based on their criticism of government policy.”
For Ragbir, the pardon ended years of uncertainty. He can now travel freely and said he plans to attend his nephew’s wedding in Florida in March.
“ I can buy the plane ticket and buy my clothes and get ready to go down,” he said. “That normalcy has not hit me yet.”
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Race And Justice Unit
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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