What to tell my defense lawyer
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What to tell my defense lawyer
Tell your lawyer privately, at your first meeting
- I am not a U.S. citizen.
- My status now: none / DACA / TPS / visa / green card / other: ____________
- Country of birth: ____________ Date I first came to the U.S.: ____________
- How I entered: with a visa or other papers / without inspection / not sure
- A number, if I have one (on immigration papers): ____________
- Ever been in immigration court, deported or turned back at the border? ____________
- Other arrests or convictions, in any state or country: ____________
- My family here (spouse, children, parents) and their status: ____________
- What matters most to me: staying in the U.S. / a green card or citizenship later / getting out fast / other
Ask your lawyer
- Has ICE asked the jail about me?
- Should my family pay bail now, or wait?
- Before any plea: what are the immigration effects, and is there a safer plea?
- Can an immigration lawyer look at my case too?
Remember
- Stay silent with police, jail staff and ICE. Say: "I want a lawyer."
- Don't sign immigration papers. Don't agree to leave the country without a lawyer.
From Arrested Not a Citizen. Facts checked October 21, 2026. Free information, not legal or medical advice.