Baton Rouge Legal Blog

Xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment have been increasingly apparent in United States culture and in the media recently. Stoked, in part, by politicians seeking reelection, fear of immigration impacting the culture and economy in the United States has led to enforcement crackdowns at the border and across the country.

This crackdown has created a serious social divide that has a chilling effect on many immigrants. Concerns for their safety or ability to stay in the country may prompt some to waive or ignore their basic rights. However, that approach does very little to protect you or the people you love.

A woman who married an immigrant two years ago is now working tirelessly to try to secure her husband's release from a detainment center in another state. He wound up behind bars when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents surrounded him on his way to work. They were in an unmarked vehicle and blocked his path of travel, with several men -- claiming to be agents -- storming toward him and commanding him to get out of his car. The immigration detention situation began with a minor traffic stop several months earlier. Louisiana residents facing similar problems may want to follow this case.              

At that time, a police officer had pulled the man over because one of the headlights on his vehicle was burned out. That same day, he had the headlight repaired and handed the ticket in at the local precinct where police reportedly told him the matter was resolved and he had nothing more to worry about. They did not inform him that, when the traffic stop was made, ICE officials were contacted and informed about his legal status.  

Gaps in criminal law, as well as systemic discrimination against undocumented immigrants, often leads to serious, violent crimes going unreported by the victims. Immigrants, particularly those who come to the United States without documentation, may feel reticent to report crimes to law enforcement out of fear of deportation.

All too often, non-citizen residents of the United States experience violence and abuse from those who are legal citizens. Even if the individual who harms a non-citizen immigrant is not a U.S. citizen, there are still special protections in place for the victims of crimes here in the United States, as well as victims of crimes committed by citizens abroad.

A woman in another state says she and her son are both disabled and they heavily rely on the physical, emotional and financial support her husband provides for their family. She is a U.S. citizen, but her husband is not. The couple recently gathered documentation to attend a family immigration interview to prove the legitimacy of their marriage, a process with which many Louisiana immigrants are familiar. It was a meeting they had been awaiting three years.  

The woman said she felt confident that all would go well and her husband would ultimately be able to legalize his immigration status. When things went wrong during the interview, the woman became distraught. She was asked to leave the room, which is not uncommon during marriage interviews, as officials often question spouses separately to compare their answers. However, when this particular woman exited the room, her husband was then placed under arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.