Immigration lawyers in Connecticut are seeing panic levels rise among their clients as President Donald Trump continues to change immigration policy.
Erin O’Neil-Baker is an attorney with Norte Immigration Law, a firm based in East Hartford. She has focused on immigration law for nearly 20 years and actively worked with many clients of immigration-related cases during Trump’s first term.
“The level of fear is probably more than I saw last time,” O'Neil-Baker said.
She said that her current clients are so nervous and panicked that many are considering abandoning their pending cases, such as family-based or asylum cases, even if they are in proceedings that could lead to permanent residency or citizenship.
“I've talked to several clients who are ready to just throw their hands up and get a plane ticket back to their country of origin,” she said.
O'Neil-Baker is seeing the same type of anxiety in clients who are in removal proceedings, which are cases in which it is being determined whether or not the client can stay in the country.
“They're extremely worried. They're considering not showing up to their hearings” because of the fear they have around being deported, O'Neil-Baker said. “And my advice to them is: Stay the course. Show up to court. There is a process available for them. … We can challenge these removal proceedings and try to get you status, keep you here in the United States, but the level of panic is so high that my clients are ready to give up.”
Fear, denial and hesitation
While he hasn’t seen current clients wanting to give up in the middle of their proceedings, Immigration Court Attorney Alex Meyerovich in Fairfield is seeing a reluctance from people who are just starting the process of working with an immigration lawyer.
“I've had multiple consultations where people do have a viable solution, a long-term but viable solution, and people say, ‘Well, we have to think about it,’” Meyerovich said
With Trump’s onslaught of executive orders, Meyerovich said many people seem to be hesitant to take on the legal process of their specific immigration case.
“It's not even a financial consideration,” he said. The fear and panic, he said, may be what’s keeping people stuck in denial over the reality of the current situation around immigration in the country.
In some cases, it has also become “impossible” to give people guidance, he said, because of the lack of guidance from the Trump administration regarding the specifics around their executive actions and shifting policies.
Meyerovich pointed to an example of an action that has a lack of guidance: The Trump administration is pushing an initiative that anyone who entered the country within the last two years will be subject to expedited removal.
“That's what people call me about,” he said. “They say, ‘Oh, I've been in the country for a year and a half. I'm waiting for my court hearing. If I get caught, will they send me back?’ And my answer is, ‘I don't know yet.’”
Awaiting clarity
The big question mark, according to Meyerovich, revolves around how the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will target people for detainment and deportation moving forward, as courts are backlogged with immigration cases.
“People ask me, ‘What do I do?’ And my answer is, ‘I don't know,’” he said. “There's nothing to do because there's not enough information.”
ICE has arrested ‘scores’ of migrants who have no criminal records, according to NPR. Immigration officials have not disclosed how many of the roughly 7,400 ICE arrests as of the start of this month have included people with criminal backgrounds, according to The New York Times.
Starting just a few days after Trump’s inauguration, ICE has been posting enforcement updates on X (formerly known as Twitter) with single-day statistics of arrests and detainers. Dozens of those thousands of reported arrests included a post with the names of specific arrested individuals pending removal with their listed crimes.
“The real question in the future: Will ICE create some sort of priorities going forward?” Meyerovich said. “Are they going to continue to target people with a criminal record, with prior deportations, or will they ultimately go after people who have nothing?”
Ignoring misinformation from social media, word of mouth
With so much information and news coming out so quickly around immigration, O'Neil-Baker said it’s important to keep in mind that what you see and hear may not apply to your particular circumstances.
That kind of legal advice is best obtained from a licensed professional, Meyerovich said. In his experience, immigrants will often find advice elsewhere.
“They go on TikTok. They talk to their neighbors. They say, ‘Oh, you know, my brother had a case like that, and it didn't go well,’” he said. “I don't know why your brother's case didn't go well. I didn't represent your brother, and you are not your brother. Look for advice [from a licensed professional]. Not TikTok, definitely not Facebook.”
Understanding your own personal situation is a way to stay grounded amid the rush of rumors and rhetoric currently coming out regarding immigration, O'Neil-Baker said.
“Trump and the administration are making a point [of raising fears in the immigrant community], and they've done a good job of that,” O'Neil-Baker said. “Know the specific ramifications for yourself. Don't listen to your friends. Don't listen to social media. Don't listen to the fear mongering. Just figure out your own situation.”
Learn more
- Immigration attorney Erin O'Neil-Baker discusses when to seek legal counsel and how to prepare well ahead of a potential arrest.
- The National Immigration Legal Services Directory has a list of organizations in Connecticut that offer legal assistance.
