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 is going to 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 immigration arrives in a multi-family home they are rounding up others who aren’t presently targeted for these raids. We know because our clients tells us this is happening in our communities, Freehold and Lakewood in particular have been hard 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. In fact, some recently detained got there 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 that didn’t have attorneys in the first instance likely won’t have an attorney for the recent raids. In a matter of weeks they could find themselves back in what eve country they were fleeing from.
Who else is being detained?
Immigration has stepped up their enforcement on every level. That means if you have been convicted of certain crimes or even some traffic violations, like drivintg under the influence of drugs or acohol DUI/DWI, immigration will go to your address on file. If they find you there, you will be detained and placed in removal proceedings. Even if you 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 who is 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 purpose of the SAFE program is to minimize your chances of being arrested in the first instance. We give you an ID card with your name and information (it is not a government issued ID) that you can keep with you at all times and present it 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 you are represented by an attorney. You tell the officer that you won’t answer any questions without your lawyer present. If the officer has reason to arrest you already, 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 on 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, every year, included in the cost of the program.
Secure will help you get out of Immigration custody
We also have a program called the SECURE program, which applies specifically to immigration issues. When you are first detained by immigration after immigration raids, your family normally would need to 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 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 it becomes a problem for you. Also, by knowing what immigration knows we are better able to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
What does the Safe and Secure Program give you?
With the combined program you get:
- 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 is a total value of 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 if 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!
