After a campaign led by the NYSYLC, Nadia Habib and her mother Nazmin Habib have been granted a stay of removal for one year.
Yesterday, after numerous petitions, phone calls and a rally with over 100 people, NY ICE Field Office Director Christopher Shanahan informed Nadia and her mother that he will review their case and make a decision.
Today, Nadia and Nazmin were informed that they have been granted a stay of removal for one year. Also, their order of supervision, which included reporting to ICE regularly, not allowed to leave NY state for more than 48 hours without notifying ICE, and having their passports confiscated, has been canceled.
Nadia arrived in the United States, from Bangladesh, in her mother’s arms as a one-year old baby. She is currently a junior at Stony Brook University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Biology and Art. Nadia aspires to someday make a major contribution to the world of medicine as a pharmacist in drug research and discovery. Nadia’s mother, Nazmin, is the wife of a green card holder and also the mother of three U.S. citizen children and a contributing member of her community.
After ICE’s decision to provide stay of removal, Nadia will be able to continue her studies in Stony Brook University, and Nazmin will be able to stay with her children and husband. However, this is a short-term victory. According to Nadia’s attorney, Aygul Charles, “the stay of removal is not a permanent relief and there still remains many hurdles to overcome before they can say they are permanent U.S. residents. There is still a big chance that Nadia and her mother will be deemed deportable after the expiration of the stay of removal. Also, the stay of removal can be lifted by ICE at any moment.”
We commend the actions from NY ICE Field Office Director Christopher Shanahan for acting swiftly in Nadia’s case and permitting her to remain here for 12 months, but we also ask that the agency does more for individuals like Nadia. Unfortunately, Nadia’s request for deferred action fell on deaf ears. She should have been granted since she is a DREAM Act eligible student and fits the profile of someone deserving of such type of prosecutorial discretion.
Nadia expresses her gratitude to everyone who signed her petition, made phone calls and members who supported her and her family through this legal nightmare. With the case of the Habib family, we witnessed the power of community organizing and how united we can have more strength.
