With 290,000 subscribers. YouTube channel “McBean Immigration TV” has become the online destination for answers amid growing uncertainty about detention.
WASHINGTON — Frequently captured on cellphone video, immigration arrests by federal authorities have been increasing throughout the D.C.-area, especially as President Donald Trump continues his directive to federal authorities to surge into the District.
But what happens after someone gets detained? Where do you look? How should you respond?
LaToya McBean Pompy, the chief executive and founder of immigration law firm McBean Law, PLLC, specializes in breaking down immigration questions like this one.
With 290,000 subscribers. YouTube channel “McBean Immigration TV” has become the online destination for answers amid growing uncertainty about detention and immigration police.
Online Detainee Locator:
“The first thing that sets in is fear and panic,” McBean Pompy said. “One should certainly understand that it’s possible to immediately locate that person in the ICE system.”
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has an “Online Detainee Locator System,” where those detained by ICE can be locate with a nine digit A-number or by entering biographical information.
But it’s often unclear when that person can be with their family and loved ones again or where immigration authorities may take them.
In many cases, immigrants may be taken to other sections of the country, like Texas, Louisiana and Florida, since the D.C. area has limited facilities for housing those detained by ICE. With the capacity to hold thousands, Fort Bliss in Texas is the country’s largest immigration detention facility.
Getting in touch with relatives who have been detained depends on the location. ICE centers in Louisiana, for instance, have been notoriously difficult for family members and even lawyers to make contact with the person who has been detained.
“It takes a lot of persistence to speak to that person,” McBean Pompy said.
After locating the person who has been detained in ICE’s system, the next step is to get in touch with an immigration attorney, which McBean Pompy said is the best way to fend off potential deportation.
“Having an attorney involved in the process very early on can make a very big difference with ensuring that your loved one or your relative gets to stay in the United States long enough to fight their removal action,” McBean Pompy said.
Knowing your status and having a plan:
“Just get a plan of action in place in case a loved one gets picked up,” McBean Pompy said. “Having a family plan in place is really critical, knowing what’s going to happen with the children, who is going to be the guardian of the children, how will your assets be taken care of?”
McBean Pompy said that the way immigration authorities, like ICE, operate has changed when Trump took office for his second term in January, with a more aggressive approach to detention.
“During normal times, before Trump 2.0, law enforcement officials would need reasonable suspicion in order to stop someone and question them about anything,” “Reasonable suspicion was the standard and it’s the still the standard.”
These measures have translated in a dramatic increase in immigration arrests throughout the DMV, with Virginia reporting a 470% increase in reported detentions by ICE and Maryland reporting a 290% increase over last year.
“From what we see on TikTok and other places, they are very aggressive with these individuals,” McBean Pompy said. ” You would think that it was a targeted effort.”
What to say and what not to say:
“If an immigrant is approached by ICE, they have to remember that the same rights as a U.S. citizen with respect to the right to remain silent and not answer questions about your citizenship,” McBean Pompy said. “… That person has the right to say nothing if they don’t have a status here.”
Although advisable for people to exercise their right to remain silent when questioned by immigration authorities, McBean Pompy said that immigrants with legal statuses should speak up.
For example, citizens, Green Card holders, residents, DACA recipients and those with Temporary Protected Status should make those statuses known to federal agents.
Concerns from Green Card holders and naturalized U.S. Citizens
McBean Pompy said that concerns from immigrants with these statuses have been by far the most frequently asked questions on her social media pages. A video titled “USCIS Has Changed (Unscripted)” where McBean gives a candid reaction to threats to Green Card holders, garnered 262,000 views on her YouTube channel.
While there have been incidents of Green Card holders facing threats, McBean Pompy emphasized that these are anomalies and that most people with that immigration status should not have cause for concern.
“Some of the fear is not well-founded. Most people will be fine,” McBean Pompy said about Green Card holders. “And certainly, U.S. citizens are OK. It’s very difficult to denaturalize individuals, it’s a very complex process. Yes, we know the government is planning to rev this up … but for the most part it’s very complex and most citizens have nothing to worry about.”