Government Purposely Tricks Immigrants During Their Immigration Hearings

ICE lawyers offer to dismiss deportation cases. Then ICE agents arrest and detain the immigrant.

Photo credit: shutterstock_2142035749

Please share the video below with any Spanish-speaking immigrants you know who have deportation cases active in a U.S. immigration court!

Lawyers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been tricking people attending hearings in immigration court into accepting a dismissal of the government’s deportation case against them. This sounds like a good idea, but it's not, because once the foreign national no longer has a case pending before an immigration judge, they can be subject to expedited removal from the United States if they have been in the country for less than two years. In these cases, ICE agents have been waiting outside of immigration courtrooms to arrest people whose cases have been dismissed.

@abogadakateEsto fue lo que pasó: Las personas se presentaron a sus audiencias de inmigración, donde los abogados de ICE pidieron a los jueces que desestimaran sus casos. Para muchos, esto sonaba como una victoria. Sin más fechas de corte ni un caso activo de deportación. Pero en cuanto salieron de la sala, ICE ya estaba esperando para arrestarlos y detenerlos. Esto es terrible. Y es una trampa legal. Cuando estás en la corte de inmigración, estás bajo la jurisdicción de un juez. Eso significa que ICE no puede deportarte sin una orden judicial. Pero una vez que se desestima tu caso, pueden proceder a detenerte y deportarte mucho más rápido. Así que si ICE te ofrece el “regalo” de desestimar tu caso, ten mucho cuidado. Puedes decir: “No quiero que se desestime mi caso. Quiero permanecer en la corte.” Esto no es asesoría legal para tu caso específico. Habla con tu abogado sobre tu estrategia para evitar caer en esta trampa. Llámanos o mándanos un mensaje para agendar una consulta: 512-599-8500

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In this video, attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch advises immigrants who are offered dismissals to tell the judge that they prefer to keep their case active and under the jurisdiction of the immigration judge.

This is another reprehensible step in the U.S. government's war on immigrants. Actions like these will serve to convince some people that it is too dangerous to do the right thing and attend required immigration hearings ... which will result in the immigration judge issuing an "in absentia" order of deportation for failing to show up for their hearing. This makes it likely that ICE agents will then go to the person’s home or place of business and arrest them, detain them, and quickly deport them. So it’s a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situation.

This is why it is so important for anyone facing deportation to be represented by a qualified immigration lawyer. The government will not hesitate to take advantage of people who do not know their rights. There have even been some recent instances where immigrants whose cases were NOT dismissed were still arrested after they left court. But at least if a person is represented by counsel, the lawyer can follow up and do everything possible to get them released from detention.

Note that people have also been arrested when appearing at ICE offices for a mandatory check-in or even at their final interview for naturalization.

In other words, the U.S. government itself cannot be trusted to do the right thing.