As public opinion turns against the Trump administration, it continues to disregard legal precedent by employing increasingly insidious methods to intensify its crackdown on immigration. AP News recently reported that ICE will be granted access to the personal data of Medicaid enrollees, “including home addresses and ethnicities.”
Lawyers have struggled to contact their clients and schedule legal visits at Alligator Alley, nearly two weeks after its opening, “despite the state’s public assurances that they can be arranged,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. Several immigration lawyers in Miami noted that the confusing bureaucracy surrounding the custody of detainees complicates the filing of legal briefs.
The detention center has been described as “something of a black box, with detainees going in and little information coming out, except for outgoing calls from the facility.”
This news follows reports that two-thirds of the Department of Justice lawyers have resigned, with 69 of approximately 110 attorneys in the Federal Programs Branch having already left or announced plans to leave. Sources familiar with the resignations stated in interviews that many had become demoralized and exhausted from battling the wave of lawsuits against the administration—especially due to the obligation to defend policies some deemed legally indefensible.
In this context, immigration lawyers in Miami are warning about the direct impact these policies may have on the rights and legal processes of thousands of individuals detained without proper access to legal representation.
Be very careful!
Beware of notaries, immigration consultants or anyone who is not qualified and prepared in these matters. Always seek the advice and services of an immigration attorney for your immigration processes and procedures.