Activist, Husband, and Father
Jean Montrevil is a beloved father of four and a longtime member of Judson Memorial Church in New York City. A man of faith, he worked with Judson and other faith communities to found the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City and serve vulnerable immigrant communities.
Jean exemplifies the power of redemption, faith, and family. Jean grew up in Haiti, parentless for many years after his father was forced to flee political persecution and his mother passed away. He eventually came to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. More than thirty years ago, when Jean was a teenager, he started down a path that led to a number of convictions in an eighteen-month period at the height of the War on Drugs. He was convicted of misdemeanor weapon possession in New York state; possession with intent to distribute cocaine in New Jersey federal court; and drug distribution and conspiracy, along with a malicious wounding offense while in jail, in Virginia state. His last offense occurred when he was 21 years old. As a result, Jean served more than a decade in prison.
After serving his time, he was released. While he received an order of deportation in 1994, immigration officials eventually decided to give him permission to stay in the U.S.
Jean turned his life around and spent the next decades of his life dedicated to his family, church, and community. He cared for his four U.S. citizen children and he and his family became members of Judson Memorial Church. He would speak openly and honestly about his experiences, and inspired his faith community to serve immigrant communities in deeper and more meaningful ways. With church leaders and others, he co-founded the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City.
His service on behalf of immigrants eventually caught the attention of ICE, which began to restrict his movements and even detained him in December 2009, sparking his family and Judson Memorial Church to rally on his behalf, and he was released. Then, ICE shocked Jean’s community by abruptly arresting, jailing, and deporting him to Haiti in 2018, even as his family and community rallied on his behalf once again. We were devastated at the loss of Jean, and heartbroken for his family. None of his children were able to say goodbye to him before his deportation. His youngest children have been diagnosed with depression and separation anxiety, including his teenage son who received surgery to remove a brain tumor and relied on his father for support during his recovery.
We have not given up on reuniting Jean’s family. Together we are mounting a campaign to bring him home to his family and church community. On January 16, 2020, the NYU Law Immigrant Rights Clinic filed a lawsuit to reverse his deportation. We are also asking Governors Cuomo and Northam to pardon Jean’s decades-old convictions.