Immigration Issues

Your Rights

What are my rights as a non-citizen in the United States?

All people in the United States, whether US citizens or not, have rights under the Constitution.  To learn about your rights, you can visit the Catholic Legal Immigration Network’s “Know Your Rights:  A Collection of Resources” at https://cliniclegal.org/resources/know-your-rights.  CLINIC has “Know Your Rights” packets available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese

Immigration Court Free Legal Service Provider list:

Tennessee (Memphis Immigration Court):  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/ProBonoTN/download 

Louisiana (New Orleans, LaSalle, and Oakdale Immigration Courts):  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/file/ProBonoLA/download 

Southern Poverty Law Center’s Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) for detainees in LaSalle ICE Processing Center (LA), Stewart Detention Center (GA), Irwin Co. Detention Center (GA), or Folkston ICE Processing Center (GA):

Phone:  229-838-6500

Online Referral Form: https://www.splcenter.org/our-issues/immigrant-justice/southeast-immigrant-freedom-initiative/english/seeking-legal-assistance

Attorneys

I need help with my immigration case.  Where can I find an immigration attorney?

Mississippi has a number of free- and low-cost immigration attorneys.  Some area non-profit immigration legal service providers include:

Immigration Court (Removal Proceedings), Detention, and Appeals

 I have a case in Immigration Court.  How can I get more information about my case?

If you have a case in Immigration Court, you can call the Immigration Court’s 24-hour automated hotline to get information about your case, such as hearing dates, decision information, and appeal information.  To access the hotline, dial 1-800-898-7180.  You will need to enter your Alien Number (also known as the “A Number”) to receive information about your case.  The automated hotline is available in English and Spanish.

If you need to contact an Immigration Court directly, please visit the Department of Justice website for more information.  Some area immigration courts include:

- LaSalle, Louisiana:  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/lasalle-immigration-court    

- Memphis, Tennessee:  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/memphis-immigration-court 

- New Orleans, Louisiana:  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/new-orleans-immigration-court

- Oakdale, Louisiana:  https://www.justice.gov/eoir/oakdale-immigration-court

What are my options in Immigration Court?

How Can I stay in the U.S.?

To learn more about the Immigration Court process, as well as additional remedies (defenses) that may be available to you, you may visit the Immigration Court Self-Help Center at:

https://www.justice.gov/eoir/self-help-materials 

My loved one is in immigration detention.  How can I find them?  Can they get out of detention?

If you have a loved one in immigration detention, you may use the ICE Detainee Locator at https://locator.ice.gov/odls/#/index to try to locate them.  (Please note that you will need some biographical information about your loved one to find them using the site.)

Consular Contacts

 Your consulate should be able to help you obtain important government documents and services from your home country, including passports, national IDs, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce records, and other important documents.  Some consulates also provide mobile consular services in Mississippi.  Please contact your local consulate for availability and schedules.

Some area consulates that serve Mississippi include: