CORONA VIRUS / COVID-19 ADVISORY

Due to the health risks posed by the Corona Virus tragedy, our office is following the directives of the governor of California in order to minimize the risks to our staff, our clients and our community. Our office will continue to operate fully, as it has thus far, observing our normal schedule, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We will continue to schedule appointments to meet with clients and will do this via ZOOM or Telephone only.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with any of our lawyers or staff members, please do so by calling our office at 619-291-1112. You can also contact us via e-mail at [email protected]janbejar.com

Thank you for your understanding.

AVISO DE CORONA VIRUS / COVID-19

Debido a los riesgos para la salud planteados por la tragedia del Virus Corona, nuestra oficina está siguiendo las directivas del gobernador de California para minimizar los riesgos para nuestro personal, nuestros clientes y nuestra comunidad. Nuestra oficina seguirá funcionando a pleno, como lo ha hecho hasta ahora, cumpliendo con nuestro horario habitual, de lunes a viernes de 8:30 a.m. a 5:30 p.m. Continuaremos programando citas para reunirnos con los clientes y lo haremos solo a través de ZOOM o por teléfono.

Si desea programar una cita con alguno de nuestros abogados o miembros del personal, hágalo llamando a nuestra oficina al 619-291-1112. También puede contactarnos por correo electrónico a [email protected]

Gracias por su comprensión.

Resolving Immigration ProblemsIn An Honest & Responsible Manner

Immigration authorities must have probable cause

A citizen of the United States cannot be detained and placed in jail without probable cause. He or she is entitled to certain rights under the constitution. In sharp contrast, some immigration authorities in California as well as other states have made a practice of asking that individuals who are believed to be immigrants be held in jail after they should have been released.

When an individual is arrested — regardless of the charge, this information is automatically shared among various agencies. U.S. immigration authorities often review this information and request that individuals who are believed to be immigrants be detained an additional 48 working hours after they should be released. This extension is to allow the agency time to investigate the individual and decide if he or she should be deported.

A federal judge in a neighboring state has recently ruled that this practice violated the constitutional rights of an immigrant woman. This ruling indicates that the arresting agency does not have to honor a request to detain an individual after he or she should be released. Over the past few years, the majority of agencies in California have stopped honoring these requests to further detain an individual.

Everyone can make a mistake. This includes U.S. immigration authorities. There have been instances where they have detained U.S. citizens or others who should not have been detained in the first place. This ruling indicates that the investigation should take place prior to detention and not the other way around.

Individuals seeking citizenship in California often find that there are numerous obstacles in their way. Those seeking permanent residence in the United States will want to be aware of their rights. Additionally, they will want to know what steps they need to take in order to protect their rights in the event that they are detained.

Source: ABC News, “Oregon ruling spurs halt on immigration detainers”, Gosia Wozniacka, April 17, 2014

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We are open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

For our clients’ convenience we offer English and Spanish speaking services.