Have you been arrested for a crime and worried about how it will affect your citizenship or immigration status?
Are you wondering if your arrest will get you deported or if you will be reported to ICE?
Or maybe you are undocumented and worried that this arrest would trigger an investigation of your being here illegally. Or perhaps you are a dreamer / DACA recipient?
If you have any of these concerns, you must tell your criminal lawyer that you are not a US citizen because this will affect how they defend you in your criminal case. Many people get scared and immediately think that they will have to leave the country and/or get deported. While these are valid concerns, to find out whether this will happen to you, you need to consult with a criminal defense attorney to see if there is a strong criminal case against you.
One of the most common mistakes people make is thinking that a criminal lawyer is the same as an immigration lawyer. While there are some attorneys that practice both criminal and immigration law, finding two different lawyers who specialize in each field may be the better route to go.
For example, when you go to the hospital you will first see a general doctor. If you have trouble with your heart, they will send you to a heart specialist. But what if you also have trouble with your breathing? Then will then send you to a respiratory doctor. If you need two different surgeries, you don’t want the respiratory doctor working on your heart and your heart doctor working on your lungs. Each doctor specializes in different parts of your body. The same can be said for the legal field. One person can specialize in keeping you out of jail while another person can specialize in your immigration status.
Before worrying about how an arrest or criminal investigation will affect you, your job, your family, or other parts of your personal life, it is in your best interest to speak to an experienced lawyer to find out how to keep your record clean and stay in this country.
Many times, our clients contact us, and we refer them to an immigration lawyer we’ve worked with in the past and trust. That immigration lawyer will then ask for a copy of the police report, and when we get that report on your first court date, we will share it with them and schedule a team meeting to strategize how to protect you, our client.
Our firm can help keep your record clean and avoid a criminal conviction depending on the facts of your case. An immigration lawyer can advise you on what must remain in this country. Together, we can show the court that getting a criminal record will affect you and people who depend on you, like your family and loved ones. This is especially true if you’ve spent most of your life in America or if your immediate family is living here and you have little to no ties to your country of origin.
Another concern many of our clients have is their honor and reputation. Your name can be ruined just because you are accused of a crime. This is especially true if you are charged with a moral turpitude crime. In other words, the crime suggests you are not trustworthy or of bad character. The mere fact you are being accused is enough to ruin your reputation, which can be embarrassing and shameful.
Getting arrested or accused of a crime is traumatizing. Some people find it nerve-wracking to call a lawyer to explain the situation because anxiety is triggered when considering the penalties. The worst thing you can do is keep your head in the sand. Knowledge is power, and our goal at Lamano Law Office is to keep you informed and protected. After you speak with one of our lawyers, you will know what the best case, worst case, and likely scenario is. Call our office today to speak to a lawyer now.