If you are detained or face a deportation removal hearing, what should you do? Call us. You need to call an immigration lawyer as quickly as you can. You may be told that you can file a voluntary departure notice with the Department of Homeland Security, which means you are volunteering to remove yourself from the country instead of enduring a forced deportation. Please don’t do it.
If you sign the voluntary departure notice, you will not be allowed to re-enter the United States for ten years. True, a voluntary departure notice means that you would avoid having an order of deportation recorded on your immigration record. But suppose you sign the voluntary departure notice. In that case, you may be giving up on your chance to qualify for immigration relief, such as political asylum, removal cancellation, or status adjustment. In essence, you may miss the opportunity to stay here as a legal resident if you act too quickly, signing the voluntary departure notice without consulting with an immigration lawyer first. Please don’t be intimidated into giving up so quickly. At the very least, call us first so we can help you figure out your best possible move to keep the life you want.
If you came to the United States without documentation, you had a reason: a dream of a better life, a family you needed to be near, a hope of safety, a desire to get out of a life of poverty and constant struggle. Whatever your reason, it was dear to your heart. Otherwise, you would not have risked so much to get here.
But now that you’re here, your struggle isn’t over. You constantly look over your shoulder, wondering if the people around you suspect you don’t have your papers. You worry endlessly. You have nightmares that you will be ripped from your life and forced to return to the place you once escaped. That fear is accurate and will follow you everywhere until you have your legal rights as an American resident.
We understand this fear. We see it every day, experiencing it with our clients who are facing deportation and total disruption of their lives. That is why we do what we do: as immigration lawyers, we are here to help you through this tough time. We were hoping you could come see us and let us help you file your paperwork so you can stop worrying.
With over forty years of experience as experts in the immigration law field, our excellent staff can get you the answers you need. We are here to help you and your family navigate the often-confusing immigration system so that you can settle in to a comfortable, secure life together in the United States.