The New York Times reported that the Obama administration's crackdown on illegal immigration inadvertently has led to United States citizens being arrested due to flawed information from the Department of Homeland Security's databases.
Immigration officials lack the authority to detain United States citizens. The report stated that local police officers are following instructions issued by federal immigration officials to detain individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants. Once arrested, every person is fingerprinted and checked against the Department of Homeland Security database for potential matches. If the result matches, local police have authority to hold a suspect for up to 48 hours.
However, Antonio Montejano, an American citizen who was detained on November 5, 2011, told the paper that "I told every officer I was in front of that I'm an American citizen, and they didn't believe me," because he "look[s] Mexican 100%." Montejano was released on November 9, 2011, after the American Civil Liberties Union provided ICE with proof of a United States passport and birth certificate that stated Montejano was born in Los Angeles, California.
There have been 1.1 million deportations since President Obama took office.
Glickman Turley's experienced attorneys represent individuals on a wide range of immigration matters, as well as other legal issues. Please contact our attorneys if you wish to discuss representation on immigration matters, real estate purchase and sales, condominium associations, criminal defense, non-profit law, civil litigation, business litigation, business law, probate matters including wills, powers of attorney, health care proxy, same-sex parent adoptions, guardianships, animal law, or LGBT legal matters.
