Attorney Carlos E. Sandoval Comments on Controversial Deportation Raids and Detention

Carlos E. Sandoval sheds light on this recent deportation highlighting a January 4, 2016, Latin Post article, stating the Obama administration has confirmed deportation raids and detention of 121 adults and children, who were apprehended in the United States by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The majority of the immigrants are from Central America and seeking legal asylum in the United States, but were already ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge and subject to final orders of removal.

However, contends Sandoval, these people did not enter the United States illegally. They were asylum-seekers who were complying with DHS requirements to report to court and supervision.

“Many of them were allegedly denied due process by not getting proper information about their immigration hearing or the possibility to appeal the denials of their asylum cases,” said Sandoval. “Furthermore, ICE agents allegedly violated constitutional rights by conducting the raids without a warrant. These actions are meant to deter future asylum-seekers, which would appear to violate our international obligations under the 1967 refugee protocol that recognizes the right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries.”

The deportation campaign, according to a January 4, 2016, article in The Guardian, amounts to the first large-scale effort to deport people who fled violence from drug wars in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Belize. These “drug war refugees” from Central America include children that make the dangerous journey to America on their own.

The Guardian article further states that a spokesman for ICE said that the new deportation push was intended to “further deter individuals from undertaking the journey,” adding that the U.S. was exploring options to give Central Americans expanded access to its refugee admissions program.

The U.S. government, adds Sandoval, should comply with its international obligations under the 1967 refugee protocol, and those people who have pending cases in immigration court should look for an immigration lawyer to represent them. Those who have received orders of removal should also consult with an attorney about the possibility to appeal their removal orders, or seek to reopen their cases.

About Carlos E. Sandoval, Attorney at Law 
Carlos E. Sandoval is a member of the Florida Bar, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association and the Broward County Bar Association. Carlos, who speaks fluent English and Spanish, is licensed to practice law by the Florida Supreme Court and the Federal Court for the Southern District of Florida. He focuses his practice in all areas of immigration, naturalization and deportation. For more information or a consultation, please call (954) 306-6921.

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