Immigration Raids
The stated intent is to remove criminals.
I would hope that the intent of this program was not to break up families, but that is a side effect of the program. If an illegal immigrant is found during one of these raids, they are arrested and face deportation. It is not as if ICE will release the person simply because they have a family. While the intent of the program may be to flush out the recent illegal immigrants, the raids are causing widespread fear in immigrant communities. Many immigrants aren’t going to work. They aren’t leaving their homes. When immigrants arrive in a multi-family home, they are rounding up others who aren’t presently targeted for these raids. We know because our clients tell us this is happening in our communities; Freehold and Lakewood, in particular, have been brutally hit.
Detained immigrants must act immediately.
Another problem that has arisen as a result of these quick raids is that many of the immigrants are unable to acquire proper legal counsel. Some recently detained people got their deportations stayed because an appellate court recognized that the process in their orders of removal was flawed in the first place. Those individuals were fortunate, for many others who didn’t have attorneys in the first instance likely won’t have an attorney for the recent raids. In weeks, they could find themselves back in what eve country they were fleeing from.
Who else is being detained?
Immigration has stepped up its enforcement on every level. That means if you have been convicted of certain crimes or even some traffic violations, like driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol DUI/DWI, immigration will go to your address on file. You will be detained and placed in removal proceedings if they find you there, even if you have legal status like Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Action. Neither of those categories of status will protect you from a criminal conviction. If you are charged with these offenses, you must get qualified counsel familiar with immigration issues.
What can you do to protect yourself from Immigration Raid?
We created our Safe and Secure program in 2015 precisely for such an outcome. We want to help you keep your family together. Our Safe and Sound program has two components: SAFE and SECURE.
The Safe component reduces your chance of being arrested.
The SAFE program aims to minimize your chances of being arrested in the first instance. We give you an ID card with your name and information (not a government-issued ID) that you can always keep with you and present if you are ever stopped by a police officer or immigration official. The card has your rights on the back. The ID makes clear that an attorney represents you. You tell the officer you won’t answer any questions without your lawyer. If the officer has reason to arrest you, the ID card won’t help you. But it will prevent you from voluntarily providing information that the officer can use against you. The ID has a 24/7 phone number forwarded to an answering service. If it is in the middle of the night, we will follow up the next morning. When you purchase this package, you also receive a 30-minute consultation with one of our knowledgeable staff to evaluate your immigration options annually, including the program’s cost.
Secure will help you get out of Immigration custody
We also have the SECURE program, which applies specifically to immigration issues. When you are first detained by immigration after immigration raids, your family usually must scramble to find your legal representation. Once a lawyer has been found for you, there will need to be multiple trips back and forth to have you fill out paperwork, sign forms, and give information to the lawyer. What our SECURE program does is make sure that all of that is taken care of beforehand. This is a pre-paid program like insurance. We will also review your immigration and criminal backgrounds; we usually don’t have time to do this if you are detained. With those records, we can fix any mistakes or problems in your record before they become problems. Also, by knowing what immigration knows, we can better avoid any unpleasant surprises.
What does the Safe and Secure Program give you?
With the combined program, you get the following:
- Safe program for two years,
- Preparation for Deferred Action. If you qualify for Deferred Action and when it gets implemented, you will have a guaranteed price to apply for the petition. By completing the Safe and Secure Program, you are, in effect, preparing for Deferred Action. We can thus offer you a reduced feed when the executive action gets implemented,
- Criminal background checks,
- Immigration background checks,
- Yearly immigration checkups with our knowledgeable staff and
- Preparation of the Bond Package to get you out of detention, including having you sign all the necessary forms before you need them.
This total value is approximately $10,000, which would cost you only a fraction of that. If you are interested in this program, please reach out to us and let us know so that we can get everything in order and start protecting you as soon as possible.
We are in dangerous new waters. There is no way to predict what immigration will do next. So why wait on immigration? Do what you need to do today to protect your family.
- Make an appointment to meet with our knowledgeable staff,
- Answer their questions,
- Get started on your path to legal status or the Safe and Secure program, depending on your particular situation.
Don’t wait until immigration is at your door. Call 888-695-6169 to get started today!
