ICE Jails Student’s Spouse-No Bond

In a case we are handling at our office, the immigration police (ICE) have picked up and jailed our client from India, who is lawfully in the country on an F-2 visa. Our client resides in Texas with his wife who is a full-time student on an F-1 visa, and we are handling the case from our Houston immigration lawyer office.

Our client was picked up by ICE on March 10 and has been in their jail ever since. ICE, through its deportation officer Hector Marin, claims that our client was working “for wages or other compensation” in his cousin’s south-Texas convenience store. According to our client, however, he was simply visiting his cousin at his store on March 10.

A F-2 visa holder is not permitted to work, but they are permitted to live in the U.S. while their spouse attends school. With absolutely zero evidence of “wages or other compensation,” ICE has jailed our client for almost three weeks and determined that no bond should be set. While normally a bond is always set, under the Trump administration, things seem to be changing. Unless a person is a danger to the community or there is reason to believe they won’t show up at their hearing, this Houston immigration lawyer has always seen a bond set by ICE.

Since ICE has refused to set a bond, our client spends his days and nights in indefinite detention at the Houston immigration jail. We have forced the issue by asking an immigration judge to set a bond, and that hearing is scheduled for April 6. In the meantime, this unfortunate spouse on a lawful visa will continue to sit in the immigration judge until, presumably, a fair-minded judge will give him a bond.

For further information, I may be reached at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800, or by email at bruce.coane@gmail.com.  http://www.coane.com

 

Trying to Avoid Deportation during the Trump Administration

Here is a story in yesterday’s USA Today, that discusses deportation under President Trump. One of my client’s is featured in this story, and it is a very sad tale of violating the Constitutional right to due process. My client came to the U.S. as a teenager and was never invited to attend his own deportation hearing. He was ordered deported in his absence and without his knowledge almost 20 years ago. When he unfortunately came across ICE a few weeks ago, they searched their database and found the old deportation order, which is somewhat similar to an old arrest warrant. Unfortunately, in the current political climate, there has been little sympathy from the courts to protect the right to due process and to reopen the case so he can have his day in court. He is expected to be deported in the next few days.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/03/22/faces-of-deportations-under-president-trump/99455428/

Trump’s new travel ban has just been quashed by a federal judge in Hawaii

Here we go ago! President Trump’s new travel ban that was set to become effective tomorrow has just been quashed by a federal judge in Hawaii. Just now, a federal judge in Hawaii granted a Temporary Restraining Order against the government, prohibiting enforcement of the Executive Order barring travel to the U.S. and barring issuance of visas to Iranians, Libyans, Syrians, and others.

Hawaiian TRO

Fighting Against a Family Man’s Deportation

Fighting against the clock trying to prevent my client from being deported today or tomorrow. He has no criminal history, he’s been in this country for 17 years, is married to an American and has American children, all of whom he supports. And how about due process? His deportation hearing was held in 2001 when he was a teenager and he never even got any notice of it.

Very sad that our government is focusing on deporting good, family men instead of hardened criminals. 

Coane and Associates PLLC

http://www.coane.com

Houston: 713-850-0066 Miami: 305-538-6800

–Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien

Feds Deport Dad Who Once Held Reprieve

Yes, the government is deporting anyone and everyone who is undocumented and it doesn’t matter whether you are a criminal or not. This article from today’s Houston Chronicle is a perfect example.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Immigration-agents-deport-Houston-father-whose-10973024.php

This is very sad. While President Trump talks about only deporting criminals or felons, the reality is that, behind his back, Homeland Security is deporting everyone who does not have proper papers and has a deportation order and/or is subject to the law of expedited removal. In my opinion, once the President realizes this is not fake news, he will put a stop to it (hopefully), but in the meantime, anyone who is undocumented must get proper advice and weigh their options carefully.

Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle

“Rose Escobar gets emotional and kisses her cross necklace at a press conference to denounce the Trump Administration for deporting people without criminal records instead of criminals Thursday, March 2, 2017, in Houston. Jose Escobar, 31, was deported Thursday. Jose Escobar came to the United States from El Salvador without legal status at the age of 15.”