Did you know that many immigrants who are in deportation proceedings feel like there isn’t anything they can do to change the situation, and believe that an attorney can’t help them?
Look, we’ve all been stressed out by the Trump administration’s policies for immigrants. It’s certainly made things much harder for those trying to get a legal status and for those who are in deportation proceedings. But harder doesn’t mean impossible.
You will go in front of an immigration judge. The judge is very busy, and you may not feel like you are seen or even treated like a human. The attorney for the government has probably worked to deport thousands of people just like you.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any hope.
How An Immigration Attorney Can Help
If you hire an immigration attorney who is experienced in deportation defense, you may not only NOT be deported but you may be able to be released on your own recognizance.
That means you don’t have to pay bail. You must sign a paper agreeing that you will return for any court hearings. This has been very rare under the Trump administration, but we hope it will become more common under President Biden.
Alternatively, you may be able to get released with a bond. This is a set amount that you pay to ensure that you’ll return to court. If you don’t return, you lose that money. You will get the money back at the conclusion of your immigration case.
Sometimes, because immigration courts are so busy, the government’s attorney can’t prove you’re removable by clear, convincing and unequivocal evidence. A good immigration attorney knows when that happens and how to make the arguments to the Judge that their burden wasn’t met. By doing so, you can get released without a bond or any further court hearings about deportation. While this doesn’t happen often, it does happen.
What You Can Do If You’re Worried About Deportation
If you are worried about the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the police picking you up, make sure you have these four things.
- Contact numbers of those who can help you, such as your family and your immigration attorney;
- Your financial and other important information available for and accessible by your family so they can help you;
- All your immigration documents together so your family can give them to your immigration attorney; and
- Your RED card on you at all times. It tells you your rights. If the police or ICE detain you, you can show it to them and stop answering their questions without an attorney present. Doing so could make the difference between getting arrested or deported. If you want a RED card, contact our office and we’ll send it to you at no cost.
Recently, we were talking to someone whose husband was in jail with an immigration hold. All his immigration documents were on his laptop, but she couldn’t access it due to passport protection. Due to the holidays and COVID restrictions, he had to wait in jail for weeks before he could meet with an attorney and start preparing a case for his defense. Following the advice we gave will make it easy for your family and your attorney, to help you solve your immigration problems.
If you’re worried about being deported, call us at Andres Mejer Law. It isn’t true that nothing can be done. The truth is that hiring a good immigration attorney as soon as possible will allow you to find solutions to get back to your family sooner.
