Anger mounted at a church in Greenwich Village during a news conference announcing a lawsuit against ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"They're not gonna shut me until God calls me home,” said Jani Cauthen, whose ex-husband was deported.
Jean Montrevil's four children are all U.S. citizens. He was deported to Haiti two years ago.
"Two stupid years, when will it stop?" saiod Rev. Donna Schaper of the New Sanctuary Coalition, NYC.
This is the New Sanctuary Coalition, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to immigrants fighting deportation, and who are critical of the Trump Administration.
Montrevil is the coalition's co-founder. The lawsuit alleges ICE deported him to silence him.
Among his supporters is a State Senator, a city council member and the Mayor’s office.
"He's dedicated himself to activism on behalf of all immigrants if that is not the American way I don’t know what is," said Brad Hoylman.
"And I stand with you," said Carlos Menchaca.
"A father should not be taken from their child," said Bitta Mostofi, of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Montrevil came to the U.S. as a teenager legally in 1986, but he soon ran into trouble with the law.
Serving 11 years in prison for drug possession, a conviction that cost him his green card.
From Haiti he told NY1 he served his time and hadn't broken a law since he was 21.
He was able to live here legally for a decade, as long as he checked in regularly with ICE.
But Trump has taken a harder line in cases like Montrevil's.
His youngest child says her father is struggling but not as much as her siblings.
"I think that it's really not fair because it like don't really effect that person it effects their family and everyone that they know," said Jamya Montrevil.
The other founder of the New Sanctuary Coalition Ravi Ragbir faces deportation, but he was granted a stay. He's scheduled to check in with Immigration ad Customs Enforcement next week.
In a statement when reached for comment about Montrevil's case, an ICE spokesperson said, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not target unlawfully present aliens for arrest based on advocacy positions they hold or in retaliation for critical comments they make. Any suggestion to the contrary is irresponsible, speculative and inaccurate.
Jean Montrevil, a national and citizen of Haiti, lawfully entered the United States in March 1986. However, following a felony criminal conviction in 1990, Montrevil no longer retained legal status to be present in the United States and, in June 1994, he was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge. Montrevil has multiple felony convictions and is considered an aggravated felon. Although he has filed multiple appeals and motions with the Board of Immigration Appeals, the original order of removal stands. ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) deportation officers arrested Montrevil on Jan. 3, 2018, and in accordance with his final order of removal, Montrevil was removed from the U.S. to his home country of Haiti on Jan. 16."