Guest Contributor

Aarti Shahani

AARTI SHAHANI is a co-founder of and staff organizer with Families for Freedom (FFF), a multi-ethnic defense network for immigration facing deportation. FFF members are primarily low-income people of color, current and former detainees, loved ones of people being deported and individuals at-risk of deportation based on immigration status. FFF provides direct support to detainees and their families, conducts outreach in the most affected communities, and raises public awareness about the erosion of immigrants' civil rights. At FFF, Aarti writes educational materials and articles on the criminalization of immigrants, visits detainees in jails and courts, builds FFF's base of members and allies, and contributes articles and radio segments to local media. She became an immigrant rights organizer after her uncle was deported to India and her father was placed in deportation proceedings.