Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Queens Mother, Daughter Fight To Avoid Deportation To Bangladesh
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 29, 2011
Modified Sep 29, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 29, 2011
Modified Sep 29, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Queens woman and her 19-year-old daughter are hoping that lawmakers can save the day and prevent their deportation to Bangladesh. Nazim Habib and Nadia Habib, who is a student at SUNY Stony Brook, are supposed to report to Federal Plaza for departure today, but their lawyer has filed to block the deportation—on the grounds that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement deports illegal immigrants with criminal records first—as they try to sort out the issue. Nadia Habib, who arrived in New York as a baby, said, "I’m scared…I don’t want to be like arrested and put on a random plane and then like deported to a country that I don’t consider my own.":
In 1993, the Habibs came to New York to join Nadia's father, Jawad, who has a green card. The mother and daughter were granted political asylum, but their attempts to gain legal citizenship were thwarted by bad immigration lawyers, according to the family. Nazim and Jawad Habib have three American-born children, and when asked about leaving her husband and other children, Nazim Habib cried, "I’m to die without children.”
Congressmen Tim Bishop and Joe Crowley and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are working to keep the Habibs with their family. Bishop wrote a letter to ICE noting, "[Nadia] Habib shares the same values and ideals as those fortunate enough to be born in this country... I respectfully request ICE follow its own guidelines and focus attention on people who are more of a threat to this country than Ms. Habib."
Tagged
bangladesh
deportation
immigration
Nadia Habib
Nazim Habib
queens
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gatorade recall affects drinks sold in New York and New Jersey
More than 122,000 cases are being recalled over undeclared food dyes.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:36 p.m. ET
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .