Immigrant & Refugee Rights Attorney Explains the Legal Threats Immigrant Communities are Facing

Rather than risk detention or deportation, a North Carolina father, without legal immigration status, made the heartbreaking choice to leave the U.S. and return to Mexico alone – tearing his family apart. With immigration raids rapidly increasing, more people are being forced to make that same impossible decision.

“They [my family] are U.S. citizens, my wife is a U.S. citizen, and the politicians say they work for every U.S. citizen, right? What are they going to do to keep the families together?” Fidel Rivera asked.

Maryam Khan, an attorney for our Immigration & Refugee Rights Project, spoke with the News and Observer about this issue and warned against the use of Trump Administration’s Customs and Border Patrol “Home” app, which offers “incentives” for people who voluntarily leave the country and notify the government.

“This could be a political tactic designed to increase deportations and bypass legal safeguards meant to protect immigrant families,” Khan said.

Read the article to learn how the app may infringe on the rights of migrants and what’s at stake for those in similar positions: Raleigh NC father self-deports to Mexico to protect family | Raleigh News & Observer