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"No one is forcing you to open the door"/ Deportations from the US after Trump's order, lawyer explains rights to Albanian immigrants

2025-01-24 22:50:15Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA RUBEN AVXHIU
"No one is forcing you to open the door"/ Deportations from the US
Deportations from the USA

As arrests and deportations for undocumented immigrants have begun, here are some tips for Albanians who are in that situation. ICE (the US immigration authority) has the right to make arrests, but you are not without rights either.

Although the focus of the attacks is said to be those who have committed crimes, these are situations where "the wet burns with the dry".

When President Barack Obama began mass deportations, many Albanians suffered, who not only had not committed crimes, but were people who had been in business for years with jobs, homes, and even solid businesses.

A few hundred undocumented Albanians are just a drop in the ocean among the millions who have entered the border from Latin America and around the world. But it's a matter of fate, and often not really that much of a matter of fate.

Immigration agents in those years had quotas to meet and often targeted organized and regular people who had not entered through the border, but whose addresses were easily found.

Obama was a Democrat and most of the media was silent. At the time, our complaints, many of which were also published in the newspaper "Illyria", did not go far.

Quotas and agents under pressure from their bosses still exist today. Don't fall victim to laziness and abuse from such agents.

Know your rights even if you don't have documents.

Here are the explanations coming from immigration lawyers:

Everyone living in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, has certain rights guaranteed to them by the United States Constitution. If you are undocumented and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents come knocking on your door, you should know that you have the following rights:

-No one forces you to open the door: No one forces you to open the door or allow immigration agents to enter your home, unless they have a valid search warrant signed by a judge.

-An ICE removal order is not the same as a search warrant. If that's the only document they have, they can't legally enter your home unless you verbally agree to let them in.

-If ICE agents tell you they have a search warrant signed by a judge, ask them to put it under the door or hold it open by the window so you can see it.

-If the order does not have your correct name and address and is not signed by the judge, you are not obligated to open the door or allow them into your home.

-If at any point you decide to speak to the agents in question, you can do so without having to open the door. You can speak through the closed door or you can go outside yourself by closing the door.

-You have the right to remain silent. You are not required to speak to immigration officers or answer their questions.

-If you are asked where you were born or how you entered the United States, you can refuse to answer or simply not speak.

-If you choose not to speak, state this out loud: “I choose to remain silent.”

-You may refuse to show identity documents that show which country you are from.

-Do not show false documents and do not lie.

-You have the right to speak to a lawyer. If you are stopped or taken into custody, you have the right to contact a lawyer immediately or to receive a call from a lawyer. Ask for a copy of the Detainee Handbook to understand the rules related to the detention center.

-Even if you don't have a lawyer, you can tell immigration officials that you want to speak to a lawyer.

-If you have a lawyer, you have the right to speak with him/her. If you have a signed G-28 form indicating that you have a lawyer, give it to the immigration officer.

-If you do not have a lawyer, ask the immigration officer for a list of lawyers who offer free services.

-You also have the right to contact the consulate of your country. The consulate can help you find a lawyer.

-You may refuse to sign any paperwork until you have been given the opportunity to speak with a lawyer.

-If you choose to sign something without first talking to a lawyer, before you sign, make sure you understand exactly what the document says and means.

-You have the right to speak up and ask to make a free phone call to family members or friends if, after 10 days, you do not have enough money in your account.

*The article was published in the Albanian-American newspaper Illyria by journalist Ruben Avxhiu, with contributions from immigration attorney Kieran Both.


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