Mr. Montrevil entered the country in 1986 as a legal permanent resident. He was convicted of selling cocaine in 1990, at the age of 21. After 11 years in prison, he was released.
Mr. Montrevil started a van service, married an American woman and became a respected member of the Haitian community in New York, his supporters say. He is the father of four children.
But under immigration laws enacted in 1996, all noncitizens convicted of felonies are subject to deportation. And on Dec. 30, 2009, during Mr. Montrevil’s regular weekly check-in with immigration officials as part of a supervised release program for deportable immigrants, he was detained. His lawyer, Joshua E. Bardavid, said the authorities had given no explanation about why they were detaining his client after so many years."
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