US Immigrants Getting Arrested During Green Card Interviews?

The US immigration authorities continue to crackdown on foreigners migrating to their nation. In a latest development, reports stated that individuals, including the spouses of American citizens, were being detained by the US federal agencies during the routine Green Card interviews at the USCIS offices in San Diego.

According to reports, the federal agencies have begun detaining visa overstays during their interviews. Saman Nasseri, an immigration attorney, said that ICE and USCIS have begun implementing a policy where ICE arrests visa overstays at the USCIS offices during the Green Card interviews, even when the individuals had no criminal history.

Nasseri said that his clients had followed all the legal procedure while entering the US but overstayed their visas. All of them accompanied their spouses, who are US citizens, but were taken into custody.

As of now, the arrests seem limited to the USCIS office in San Diego. The lawyers are advising people to make family and work arrangements as a precautionary measure, in case of detention. They warned that if the interview is missed it could result in case denial for abandonment. Individuals out of status may still face arrest by ICE.

In one such arrest, a Mexican national living in the US since 2002 was taken handcuffed and taken into custody during the Green Card interview. Reportedly, the man’s US citizen daughter had applied for his permanent residency. The warrant said the probable cause based on statements made to the immigration officer or evidence that the person lacked immigration status.

ICE officials said that the agency is focused on enforcing federal immigration laws that ensure public safety, national and border security.