When I was nineteen years old I moved away from home to go live in Southern California for two years as a voluntary missionary for the church I belong to. Everyday I would wear a white shirt and tie and go from home to home preaching my beliefs. Nineteen years old is pretty young but I learned a lot about the daily life's of immigrants who come to America searching for a better life.
When we would go to the neighborhoods that were predominantly inhabited by Mexican nationals some people would be hesitant to open the door when we knocked because they thought we looked like agents looking for illegal immigrants. Then as we got to know the people in these neighborhoods they would tell us how scared they were of being forced to move back to Mexico where they had a much harder time providing for their families.
One suggestion that I have for immigrants is that you should always know your rights as an immigrant, especially when encountering law enforcement. If a government official approaches you and you are an immigrant, be careful of what you say when being questioned. Everything that you say can and most often will be use against you in a criminal, immigration, or civil case.
Keep in mind that you can almost always be questioned by many different kinds of law enforcement officers, including state or local police officers, Joint Terrorism Task Force members, or federal agents from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol), Drug Enforcement Administration, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or other agencies.
Now do you have to answer questions asked by any of these agencies? The answer is no. Just like any American citizen you have the constitutional right to remain silent. It is also very important that you cannot be punished for not answering questions that an agent asks.
Even if you do not feel free to walk away from the officer, you are arrested, or you are in jail. Talking to a lawyer first is always better than talking to the agents directly. There are so many laws that come into play that you should have a well-qualified attorney speak for you so that you do not expose yourself to additional legal risk.
The only time that you really have to answer question without a lawyer present is when you are pulled over for a traffic violation and the officer asks you for your license, and sometimes you have to identify yourself.
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