Immigration attorney briefs Worcester Human Rights Commission on rising enforcement, legal protections and resources

Susan Church, an immigration attorney, told the Worcester Human Rights Commission on Aug. 1 that recent federal enforcement activity has expanded in settings beyond traditional ports of entry and advised residents, service providers and employers on practical steps to protect immigrants and families.

Church described differences among the Department of Homeland Security components — Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — and said CBP now conducts enforcement operations within 100 miles of the border, including checkpoints and roadside stops in New England. She told commissioners that officers can request to search phones and computers at secondary inspections and that at least two attorneys have recently been detained during such inspections before being released.

Church said arrests often arise from collateral contacts with the criminal system: when local police take fingerprints after an arrest, that data can be shared with federal immigration systems and trigger ICE courthouse arrests. She told the commission that the current enforcement posture includes arrests at immigration check-ins and, increasingly, arrests in immigration court. She said pending applications, work authorization or asylum filings do not reliably prevent arrest.

The presentation included practical guidance Church said families should prepare now:…