Illegal immigrants in the US have the 'right to remain silent' - lawyer

MANILA, Philippines - An American immigration lawyer reminded undocumented foreigners in the US that they are not required to divulge any information regarding their nationality should US immigration authorities arrest or detain them.

According to Atty Robert Reeves, founder of a law firm that specializes in immigration and deportation, illegal immigrants still have the right “to remain silent" regarding their place of birth or nationality.

Reeves made the statement amid the recent crackdown of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on undocumented immigrants in several states in the US including California.

ICE is the US Department of Homeland Security's primary investigative arm. It identifies, investigates, and dismantles vulnerabilities in the country's border, transportation and economic sectors, and infrastructure.

Based on data from the US Census Bureau, in 2006 there were more than 36 million Asians living in California, which is about 12.3 percent of the state’s entire population.

The biggest number of Filipinos outside the Philippines can be found in Daly City, California.

“Remember, everything a person says can be used against them in deportation proceedings. A detainee should never lie to an ICE agent and must never make false claims of U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent resident status," said Reeves in his Web site.

The US-based lawyer further said detainees have the right to refuse signing statements or documents that could be used to deny them a court hearing or worse, expedite their deportation.

Like all arrested individuals in the US, Reeves said undocumented immigrants have the right to a phone call and to speak to a lawyer before giving statements to authorities.

Detained immigrants are usually taken to a temporary processing station where he or she may be fingerprinted and interviewed. After the processing of the detainee, he or she is given the “A number," which is an alien registration number.

“It is very important to memorize this number and if possible, the name of the ICE agent in charge of processing the detainee and the location of the processing station," Reeves said.

He added that it is important for the detainee to call an immigration lawyer who can “request status of the case or in some situations can negotiate the release of the detainee with or without bond."

“Family members can also learn the location of their loved one if they have the full name and 'A number' ready. If a detainee is given legal documents, it is important to always keep those documents with him or her. These documents will be very important to an immigration lawyer," Reeves further said. - MJU, GMANews.TV

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