Federal border agents set to arrive in MS. Know your rights if you get stopped
Federal border agents are expected to begin immigration enforcement actions stretching into Mississippi in the coming weeks, The Associated Press reported.
The crackdown, called “Swamp Sweep,” brings about 250 border agents into New Orleans with the goal of arresting roughly 5,000 people across Louisiana and southeastern Mississippi, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.
The operation is slated to start Dec. 1, but agents could arrive to set up as early as Nov. 21, the outlet reported.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has expressed support for immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration.
“We’ll continue doing whatever we can to support the president and his immigration policies,” Cory Custer, Reeves’ chief of staff, told the Sun Herald in February.
Here’s what Mississippians need to know about immigration enforcement.
Why it matters
“Swamp Sweep” is the latest in a string of brisk crackdowns happening across the nation under the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, Mississippi saw one of the largest immigration operations in United States history, when workplaces were raided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nearly 700 immigrants were arrested only for hundreds of them to be released after appearing before federal courts, CNN reported.
What to do if law enforcement asks about your immigration status
If law enforcement questions your immigration status, here’s what you should and shouldn’t do, according to the American Civil Liberties Union:
- Don’t lie or provide false documents.
- Don’t provide any foreign identification documents unless required to.
- Remember your right to remain silent.
- If you aren’t a U.S. citizen you might be required by law to show your immigration documents to government officials, so carry documentation that shows you have been in the U.S. for longer than two years, like mail or a lease.
What to do if border agents arrive at your home
Here’s what to do if you encounter border agents at your home, according to the ACLU:
- Stay calm and keep the door closed, you can speak to ICE agents through the door.
- Ask if they are immigration agents and why they are there.
- Ask to see a badge through a window or peephole.
- Ask if they have a warrant and ask to see it.
- Don’t lie or give false documentation.
- Remember your right to remain silent.
- Know that you don’t have to let law enforcement inside unless they have a certain warrant.
What to do if you are arrested or detained by Border Patrol
If you are arrested or detained by border agents, you should ask to speak to a lawyer immediately, according to ACLU guidance. You should also do the following:
- Stay calm and do not resist.
- Remember your right to remain silent.
- Don’t lie or give false documents.
- Memorize your family and lawyer’s phone numbers.
- Make plans for your family.
- Remember your immigration number and make sure your family has it.
Mississippi immigration support groups
Here is a list of groups in Mississippi that offer support and services for immigrants, according to Hispanics in Philanthropy, a philanthropy-serving organization focused on Latinx leadership:
- Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance
- Mississippi Center for Justice
- Southeast Immigrant Rights Network
- MacArthur Justice Center
- El Pueblo
- Catholic Charities of Jackson, Mississippi
- ACLU of Mississippi
