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One of the many changes that President Donald Trump has promised to implement when his second term begins on January 20 is the continuation of the immigration policies that were in place during his first term.
These policies could have a significant effect on the Houston region, where approximately 30% of the population was born outside of the country. However, even though the federal government makes decisions and enforces immigration laws, local order forces also have a role.
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Arrests and convictions, even for state-level offenses, can result in a wide range of immigration-related consequences, including deportation, which makes the Office of the Fiscal District of the County of Harris an essential player for non-citizens as federal policy under Trump changes.
Ruby Powers, a Houston immigration attorney, stated that when offices (the district’s fiscal office) truly understand immigration, it may have a significant impact on people’s lives.
Sean Teare, the district fiscal of Harris County, a first-term official who took over on January 1st, declined to be interviewed for this story.
It is important to understand how municipal taxes affect the application of federal immigration laws and to consider whether you or a loved one who is not a citizen is accused of a crime.
What recourse may local fiscal authorities have in the case of an accused person who is not a citizen?
Local fiscal officials, such as Teare and the district fiscal assistants who work in their offices, represent the state in criminal cases and are responsible for state crimes. Since immigration crimes are federal crimes, they are decided by federal judges and agencies tasked with upholding the law, such as the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, or ICE.
However, even a lesser state-level penalty could have serious repercussions for a non-citizen’s status or immigration case.
According to Lena Graber, a senior attorney at the Center of Recursos Legales para Inmigrantes, the consequences of a criminal conviction, and occasionally even of a conviction, can be devastating for an immigrant. Depending on the specific state in which the non-citizen is detained and their immigration history, anyone who has been a lawful permanent resident of Texas for 50 years and is detained for possessing marijuana may lose their green card and be deported.
Sometimes, even less harsh case resolutions might result in unintended immigration consequences, according to attorneys and immigration defense attorneys. For example, rehabilitation programs that let accused individuals to participate in alternative programs instead of having their charges devalued frequently require participants to acknowledge their guilt or a number of actions. According to the experts, this might be disastrous for non-citizens.
“Even though it does not define the state’s penal effects, admitting the elements of a crime is a condena to immigration effects,” Powers said. Thus, depending on what they believe to be ICE’s policies, the condena may result in ICE’s retention.
Are the taxpayers required to consider the ramifications of a detention for the accused’s migratory status?
Fiscales are not required by law to advise their clients on the implications of their case for migrant effects, even though defense attorneys are constitutionally required to do so. Certain states, including California, have passed laws requiring taxpayers to consider potential immigration-related repercussions while making decisions. Others, like Texas, have not been harmed.
“The role of the fiscal branch is to seek justice at the constitutional level, without causing punitive consequences,” Graber said. According to the Supreme Court of the European Union, deportation is a punishment and consequence of a criminal case; therefore, it is crucial that the attorney representing the defendant take this into consideration. This is also sent to the fiscal authorities, although there is less precise jurisprudence in this regard.
Joe Vinas, a defense attorney and head of the Association of Attorneys Criminalists of the County of Harris, stated that the fiscal’s historical consideration of the consequences of immigration has been uneven.
A person who is a citizen is given this action, which is picamente (como). “I don’t see any reason to give their customers a vacation because they aren’t citizens,” Vinas said.
Some district fiscal officials have taken steps to inform their fiscal officers on the migration consequences of criminal convictions and to lessen the unintended consequences for noncitizens. For instance, according to a press release from the office, the Brooklyn District Fiscal Office contracted with two immigration attorneys in 2017 to train and support the fiscal officers in their efforts to prevent unwarranted colateral consequences, such as deportation, while maintaining public safety in cases involving accused non-citizens.
When it is asked if any of these policies are or are not in effect in Harris County, the district fiscal office does not open.
This directive may have a significant effect on the application of the immigration law to Harris County residents who have been accused of a state crime.
Si el fiscal de distrito est dispuesto a negociar algo que no conlleve consecuencias de inmigraci n tan desastrosas, eso tiene un efecto enorme en la vida de esa persona , dijo Graber.
Qu deben hacer los no ciudadanos si son acusados de un delito en el Condado de Harris?
El Houston Landing consult con abogados defensores, abogados de inmigraci n y otros expertos en inmigraci n sobre lo que los no ciudadanos deben saber si son acusados de un delito estatal.
Entre sus recomendaciones: conozca sus derechos. La Uni n Americana de Libertades Civiles ha publicado unagu a sobre los derechos de los inmigrantesen ingl s,espa oly otros muchos idiomas, disponible gratuitamente en Internet.
Estas prerrogativas incluyen el derecho a permanecer en silencio y el derecho a un abogado defensor, dijo Amy Mena, directora de la Secci n de Inmigraci n de la Oficina del Defensor P blico del Condado de Harris.
ICE tiene espacio en el Centro de Procesamiento Conjunto , dijo Mena, refiri ndose a la ubicaci n donde los acusados penales del Condado de Harris son procesados en el sistema jur dico penal y la c rcel. Cualquier cosa que implique un arresto usted necesita permanecer en silencio .
Mena dirige un peque o equipo de abogados y asistentes jur dicos que se especializan en asesorar a los defensores p blicos del condado de Harris y abogados de oficio sobre las consecuencias de inmigraci n de un cargo, condena o declaraci n de culpabilidad. Ella y otros expertos instaron a los no ciudadanos a notificar inmediatamente a su abogado defensor sobre su estatus migratorio y cualquier hold o retenci n pendiente del ICE. A veces, dijeron, el equipo de Mena puede ayudar a levantar esas retenciones.
Quienquiera que sea su abogado defensor, tiene que preguntar a esa persona, Yo no soy un ciudadano Necesito asesoramiento especial acerca de c mo este caso penal afecta a mi caso de inmigraci n’ , dijo Graber.
Por encima de todo, los expertos instaron a los no ciudadanos a ser conscientes de que una condena, e incluso una admisi n de culpabilidad, puede desencadenar consecuencias de inmigraci n.
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La inmigraci n es muy compleja, como hemos visto en los ltimos cuatro a os , dijo Vinas, de la Asociaci n de Abogados Penalistas del Condado de Harris. La gente tiene que saber que hay consecuencias muy reales y a veces bastante garantizadas de declararse culpable de ciertos delitos que ni siquiera pueden pensar.
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