Given the abrupt changes to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) written
policies and guidance, as well as the proliferation of recent executive
orders, it is no wonder that confusion exists about the “rules”
for the enforcement of immigration laws. Immigrants without lawful status
fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will arrest
them, no matter where they might be. As a result, some families are no
longer sending their children to school and avoiding public places, even
in order to attend church. In recent years, DHS policies have instructed
ICE agents to avoid taking enforcement actions in “sensitive locations.”
ICE enforcement activities include detaining, interviewing, searching,
and apprehending individuals. In fact, the written guidance reads that
agents should either get prior approval from a supervisory official or
there should be exigent circumstances that require immediate action in
order for agents to take any sort of enforcement actions in these so-called
sensitive locations. These locations are generally construed to be places
like schools, courthouses, hospitals, and churches. Furthermore, formal
policy guidance instructs ICE agents to avoid taking enforcement actions
during religious or civil ceremonies, during public demonstrations, and
at events and activities where children are present. According to DHS
officials, this guidance regarding sensitive locations has not changed.
However, many individuals, including local government officials, have
questioned whether this actually the case, in light of recent enforcement
actions by ICE. Recently, ICE officials arrested a transgender domestic
violence in a Texas courthouse. A California man was arrested by ICE while
dropping off his daughter at school. When you or a loved one is facing
deportation, you face the potential for a family separated by international
borders, an inability to reunite, and the loss of the place that you may
have called home for many years. The prospect for deportation can be terrifying,
particularly if you must return to a country where violence, crime, and
poverty are widespread, and one in which you may no longer have family
and friends. Our goal is to avoid that possibility at all costs by developing
a strong case on your behalf to defend you against deportation. Call
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C.
today at (510) 756-4468, or contact us online in order to schedule a
consultation with one of our skilled and experienced deportation defense
attorneys. The sooner you contact us, the better we can represent your
interests in your deportation case.
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