Aarti Shahani works on behalf of hundreds of families like her own, people who are caught up in an often incomprehensible and seemingly arbitrary deportation system. Her efforts have gained special relevance since the overzealous enforcement of immigration laws post-September 11.

Born in Morocco, Aarti Shahani came to the U.S. as a toddler and grew up as a new American in Flushing, Queens as part of a close-knit Sindhi family. To make a living, her father swept streets in Times Square and her mom sewed wedding dresses. Over time, the family gained financial stability, opened a wholesale electronics business in Manhattan, and saved enough to buy a house.

The family’s newfound success was short-lived. In 1996 Shahani’s father and uncle were charged with improper cash transactions connected to the family business. They pleaded guilty under pressure. Because of their convictions for the first time offense, Shahani's uncle was ultimately deported and her ailing father currently faces deportation.

Those convictions gave birth to a young activist who now devotes herself to reform of an immigration system that can separate families at will.

As a New Voices Fellow with the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Shahani started Families for Freedom, a grassroots network that has quickly become a driving force in advocating for the rights of detained immigrants and immigrants facing deportation. She pushes for reform of immigration laws and educates both immigrants and the public about the immigration removal system.

In 2003, she provided backup legal support for more than 150 immigration cases and helped gain the release of a young Mexican woman faced with a final order of deportation. She also has written legislative materials and crafted responses to Department of Justice immigration regulations. The outspoken activist has authored educational materials and conducts legal clinics and workshops for immigrant advocates and families facing deportation. She organizes Caribbean, Latino and South Asian families throughout New York City facing deportation.

"The heightened enforcement against immigrants does not serve American communities. It targets our vital informal economies, and reaps fear across our working class communities of color," says the activist. She also visits county jails on a regular basis to document, advise, and lend support to immigrants who are detained for months or years for violations as petty as permitting their visas to expire.

While a student at the University of Chicago, Shahani’s passion to fight for the rights of immigrants grew as she served as regional administrator for Citizens and Immigrants for Equal Justice. Once a New Voices Fellow, Shahani credits the program with providing her financial support and space to be creative in a demanding job that is considered cutting edge. "It gives a leadership space for people who are young or new," she explains. "I’m fresh out of college and the fact that I am leading my organization in trying to go out and communicate with immigrant groups and bridging gaps—and the fact that I am taken seriously—I think has a lot to do with the fact that I am funded as a New Voices Fellow."