We are writing in support of Asif Qazi, a 31 year old man who was born in Bangladesh, but has lived in the East Bay since coming to the US at the age of 6.  Asif was recently released after 6 months in ICE detention, and is trying to transition back into “life outside” during these difficult times.  Asif lives with his wife, who recently lost her job because of covid, and two daughters; he also supports his Mom after the death in recent years of his Dad. They are behind in rent, and are struggling to make ends meet.

While being detained by ICE, Asif took a leadership role to fight for the rights of detainees whose lives were at risk because of COVID. These efforts included a hunger strike and pleas to Governor Newsom and AG Becerra to stop prison to ICE transfers, improve the conditions in detention, and to release detainees who had underlying health issues.  To learn more about Asif, and these efforts, click on these links:

https://youtu.be/UedB9YwBkaA

https://www.sfweekly.com/news/why-wont-the-governor-take-on-ice/

Please consider making a donation to help Asif and his family get back on their feet and avoid losing their housing. He and his family would be very grateful. We are 2 women friends (retired teacher and retired nurse) who “met” Asif through Friends Afuera, an organization that connects ICE detainees to people in the community for support.

Sponsors of this GoFundMe page:

Debby Hamolsky and Sherry Vaughn