Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received plenty of bad press lately for the agency’s actions against undocumented immigrants. The harsh tactics and aggressive actions taken by ICE against individuals in the Miami, Florida, area have been criticized by pro-immigration activists and politicians on both sides of the aisle. Here are three of the worst things ICE has done lately.

Towing Immigrant Cars

The ICE office in Miramar routinely sees long lines of immigrants starting before dawn and continuing throughout the day. These individuals and families wait for hours in the heat of the day with no access to bathrooms or water. To make matters worse, local towing companies are on the prowl to hook up cars that may have been in one spot for too long outside the ICE office and demand cash payments to unhook them. ICE does nothing to speed the process or to provide help for the immigrants waiting patiently to speak with an agent in their offices.

Stopping Greyhound Buses

ICE has also begun a practice of demanding identification papers and visas from individuals traveling on Greyhound buses in the state of Florida. This has led to some disgraceful arrests of individuals whose only crimes were to be undocumented and in transit:

•  A Jamaican grandmother was detained by ICE in the Fort Lauderdale Greyhound station on her way back from visiting her grandchild in Orlando.
• A business man from Miami was detained after ICE demanded papers from all those on the bus in the Fort Lauderdale station. He had lived in the Miami area for more than 12 years prior to his detention.

This overly aggressive “papers please” approach to ICE enforcement has earned the agency some harsh criticism from Democratic and Republican politicians alike.

Abusing Somali Immigrants

ICE arrested more than 90 immigrants from Somalia in December 2017. These detainees were then separated from friends and family, denied access to a Miami immigration lawyer and loaded onto a plane to Somalia. The plane was allegedly airborne for at least 48 hours, during which time the detainees were kept chained, denied the use of bathroom facilities and beaten by guards. The plane stopped briefly in Senegal before returning to Miami, where the Somali detainees remain in custody.

Choosing a Miami immigration lawyer from the offices of Pozo Goldstein can help you resolve issues with visas and legal residency in the state of Florida. We work diligently to provide you with the best options for your situation. Call us today at 305-856-0400 to schedule a consultation. We look forward to the chance to help you pursue your own American dream.