This toolkit includes information about family based immigration, citizenship, detention, removal, and other general topics. For general information on these topics, read the Articles. Read the Common Questions if you have a specific question.
You'll find links to legal aid offices and lawyer referral services under Find A Lawyer. If there is a Self-Help Center in your area you can get more help there. If you need something other than legal help, look in Community Services. If you need a fee waiver, an interpreter, a court to accommodate your disability, or more information about going to court, visit Going to Court.
Common Questions
If you are born on U.S. soil, you are automatically a citizen at birth. If you were born outside of the U.S., you can become a citizen in one of three ways:
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Acquisition – You were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent;
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Derivation – One of your parents naturalizes (becomes a citizen) before you turn 18 and you are living in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident (LPR, or green card holder) with that parent;
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Naturalization – You apply for citizenship after age 18 while being an LPR.
To learn more about citizenship, read An Overview of Citizenship.
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs, or green card holders) can help certain family members become LPRs. The process is different depending on whether the petitioner is a citizen or LPR. To learn more about getting a green card, read Family & Marriage-Based Immigration.
Regardless of your immigration status, you have certain rights. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers must have a search warrant signed by a federal judge in order to enter your home without your permission. If officers knock on your door, you do not have to open it. Ask if they have a warrant. If they have a warrant, ask them to slide it under your door or show it to you through a window.
Look at the warrant carefully. It should list all of the following:
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The United States District Court for the district in which your home is located
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Your address
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The name of the person they are looking for
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The judge’s name and signature
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The dates the warrant is effective
You have the right to not let the officer enter if the warrant does not have all this information. If your child opens the door, it is as if you did.
The officer could have an ICE warrant, but that is not the same thing as a warrant from a judge. An ICE warrant allows ICE officers to arrest someone who is unlawfully in the U.S. An ICE warrant does not allow officers to enter private places, like a home.
If you are stopped by a border patrol or ICE officer, you do not have to answer questions about your immigration status. You can explain your status to the officer if you want to, but you may want to speak with a lawyer first.
Do not sign any papers officers give you if you do not understand them. You may be giving up your rights. You have a right to a hearing in front of an immigration judge. You also have the right to call your country's consulate or to have the police tell your consulate that you are arrested.
You have the right to talk to a lawyer before answering any questions or signing any papers. Generally, you have the right to call a lawyer if you are detained. One exception to this right is if an immigration officer is detaining and deporting you using the expedited removal process. To learn more about this, read the “Expedited Removals” section of Inadmissibility, Deportation, and Bars to Reentry.
You have the right to have a lawyer with you at any hearing in front of an immigration judge. You do not have the right to a court-appointed lawyer. You must find your own lawyer. You can use the Guide to Legal Help to find immigration lawyers and legal services near you.
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center offers resources that could help you and your family prepare for interactions with immigration agents.