There are currently many immigrants living, working and going to school in Pennsylvania. Many reside in neighborhoods where several other immigrants make their homes as well. Immigrants in one such area in another state are greatly concerned about a recent incident that occurred where a man called police for help and wound up being placed in immigration detention.
The man said he looked outside his window at approximately 5:30 a.m. on a recent Thursday. He saw someone he did not know wandering around his property. As most people would do, he immediately called police for help.
Police officers showed up within the hour; however, instead of coming to the man’s aid, they placed him under arrest and handed him over to Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers. A spokesperson for the local police department later issued a public statement saying officers mistakenly believed they were serving a warrant for criminal charges. As it turned out, they later learned it was an administrative warrant sent through to their office from ICE.
The spokesman said he does not want local immigrants to be afraid to call police for help. He also assured them that his department would not be responding to ICE administrative warrants in the future. The man in this situation thought he had accessed proper resources to get help when he needed it, but he is now facing immigration detention problems. Those in Pennsylvania in similar situations may reach out for support by discussing their problems with experienced immigration and naturalization law attorneys.
Source: ajc.com, “Immigrant detained by ICE after calling police for help“, Deedee Sun, Feb. 11, 2018