PRESS RELEASE

Nadias 20th Birthday Gift: A temporary relief for the Habib family
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, September 29, 2011 Contact: Sonia at sonia@nysylc.org, or Daniela at 646-472-9565 New York, NY. After two weeks of thousands of online and phone petitions led by the New York State Youth Leadership Council, Nadia Habib and her mother Nazmin Habib are not being deported today. During their appointment with deportation officers, NY ICE Field Office Director Christopher Shanahan informed Aygul Charles, an immigration lawyer with the New York State Youth Leadership Council who is representing Nadia and Nazmin, that he will review their case. The attorney has petitioned for deferred action and stay of removal for Nadia and Nazmin. Nadia and her mother are under order of supervision until ICE Director Shanahan provides a final decision on their case. Even though their fates still remain unclear, this break provides a temporary respite to Nadia and her mom, who were facing a deportation order after they were denied motion to reopen their case due to a mistake of the immigration judge. Now Nadia will be able to celebrate her 20th birthday tomorrow with her family! Nadia arrived in the United States, from Bangladesh, in her mothers arms as a oneyear old baby. Now as a 19 year old, Nadia has proven to be an outstanding student. She has attended the second best public high school in New York and 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. Nadias 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. The New York State Youth Leadership Council led a public campaign that gathered more than 6,000 signed petitions, hundreds of phone calls to DHS, and rallied dozens at Federal Plaza today. Thanks to the support of the community, elected officials and allies, the Habib family is able to stay together for some time. We thank all the community members across the country who supported the Habib family, as well as the elected officials who signed letters of support, made phone calls to ICE and stood up for the Habib family and the immigrant community. Today we witnessed the power of community organizing and how united we can have more strength. We now urge all our community members to contact NY ICE Field Office Director Christopher Shanahan at 212-264-5085 or 212-264-4213 to urge him to grant Nadia and Nazmin deferred action and stay of removal.

For media inquiries, contact Sonia at sonia@nysylc.org, or Daniela at 646-472-9565

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The NYSYLC is a youth led organization that seeks to improve access to higher education and creating equal opportunity for immigrant youth and children of immigrants, regardless of immigration status through leadership development, organizing and advocacy. www.nysylc.org Twitter @nysylc Facebook www.facebook.com/nysylc