Q&A for How to Report Illegal Immigrants Anonymously

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Question

What do I do if ICE comes to my door?

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Know your rights. You don’t have to open the door to them unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. If they say they do, ask them to slide it under your door or through a mail slot so you can inspect it. If they don’t have a warrant, say that you do not consent to their entry. If they force their way in anyway, don’t resist, but tell them you don’t consent to their entry and that you choose to exercise your right to remain silent. Say that you want to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible, and don’t sign anything until you’ve spoken to a lawyer.
Question

How do you report someone to immigration in the U.K.?

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To report an immigration crime in the U.K., go to the website of the Home Office and use the Immigration or Customs Crime report form. You can submit the information anonymously or provide your name and contact information. You can also call the immigration enforcement hotline at 0300 123 7000.
Question

If I report an illegal immigrant, how long will it take for the person to be deported?

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There's no definite answer to this question. After you make your report, USCIS or ICE will investigate the situation. The person could be arrested and detained within weeks of your report. However, it can take months, even years, for deportation proceedings to conclude. During that time, the person might be held in detention, but they wouldn't be deported yet.
Question

Does ICE actually investigate claims of people with tourist visas who are working? The ICE tipline seems to focus primarily on immigrants involved in significant illegal activity.

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Yes, ICE is primarily concerned with investigating and enforcing criminal laws. If someone is working on a tourist visa, that's primarily a fraud issue, so you would need to contact USCIS about that.
Question

If the parents came to the US from Mexico with no paperwork, are the children born here citizens of the US, or do they need paperwork also?

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Anyone born in the US is a citizen of the US by birth. They do technically need paperwork, but their US birth certificate would be that paperwork.
Question

Can I request that USCIS blacklist someone who will migrate and work illegally in the US?

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This isn't really a thing you can do. Crimes are things that have happened in the past, not things that will happen in the future (because nobody can predict the future, after all). Even if you have evidence of what the person plans to do, there's nothing anyone can do under US law until they've actually done the thing they're planning to do.
Question

If someone enters the US with a visitor visa and stays longer than they were permitted and starts working in the US, can they lose their visa?

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There are several different things going on here. If someone enters with a visitor visa and overstays their visa, they haven't lost their visa—their visa already expired. A visitor visa doesn't permit anyone to work in the US, so that would also be illegal. That person would be deportable the moment their visa expired.
Question

If a person is here illegally but isn't a criminal can they be deported?

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Being in the US illegally is a crime in and of itself. They don't have to be violating any other criminal law to be deportable.
Question

Will the person I'm reporting find out that I've reported them?

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No, your identity (if you provide it) is always kept confidential by federal and state law enforcement. If you don't trust that confidentiality, you can choose not to identify yourself and remain anonymous.
Question

If a person enters the US as a visitor but their real goal is to date US citizens, can they be deported?

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There's nothing illegal about dating US citizens, even if you're on a visitor visa. Many international couples use visitor's visas to spend time together before they're ready or able to get married.
Question

If a person enters the U.S. as a visitor and works without the proper visa, can they be deported?

Community Answer

Yes. They could be.
Question

Can a person be reported and deported if they have a false green and social security card?

Community Answer

Yes, fake social security cards and fake green cards are fraudulent and therefore illegal.
Question

If a man is in the US on his wife's visa, but they separate and she returns to India permanently, what is the status of the husband who remains in US?

Community Answer

He is in the US illegally unless there has been an approval and an adjustment on his visa status.
Question

If I report an illegal immigrant, will he be deported?

Community Answer

If he does an illegal activity, then he may have an possibility of being deported. It also depends on the city/state that you are in.
Question

Can I go personally to the immigration office to report a criminal alien?

Community Answer

The immigration office is open to the public. You can also phone or fill out a form on the website. You can do this anonymously or not.
Question

Can an elderly woman who is sick and has an expired visa be deported?

Community Answer

The issue is violation of the law, not the well-being of the person. Humanitarian acts can be subjective, but please remember that the lady of justice is wearing a blindfold. Thus, in the eye of the law, someone's age, well-being, gender, and anything else, should have little bearing.
Question

If an illegal marries a legal immigrant, can the illegal still get deported?

Community Answer

If doubt is raised by someone regarding the validity or the marriage (i.e., a marriage of convenience), then, yes, the illegal immigrant could possibly be deported.
Question

Is it possible for someone who has been the victim of an ICE tip-off without any evidence of criminal activity being presented to ask for a voice transcript of a tip-off phone call?

Community Answer

Yes, you can. You can file your request to release that information electronically. The agency to request that information from is the Department of Homeland Security. Go to the DHS FOIA/Privacy Act Request Submission Form at the DHS website.
Question

How do I report someone who uses my address to receive mail?

Community Answer

Contact the post office to inform them that there is no such person at your address. Additionally, file a police report so you have proof that you have taken the appropriate response. Such a report may be helpful in the future (for your protection against identity theft, for example).
Question

How do I know if someone is in the USA illegally?

Community Answer

There is virtually no way unless the person tells you.
Question

Can someone who is not a US citizen receive Medicare and get Social Security benefits, or should I report them?

Community Answer

Yes. People are eligible if they worked and paid taxes. (However, if they are not US citizens, they can get their Social Security while in the US, but they cannot have it sent to another country.)
Question

Should illegal immigrants obey all citizens in order to avoid being turned in?

Community Answer

If you mean being subservient to any citizen in fear of being deported, no. That is a situation that can very easily become abusive and controlling. For example, an illegal immigrant who has a job working at a factory can be paid sub-minimum wages in dangerous conditions, but have no course of action to report it or leave their job due to fear that the boss will have them deported. A person could also commit sexual crimes against an illegal immigrant and threaten to have them deported if they speak up or go to the police. It is a situation rife with the potential for abuse.
Question

If a person came here on a work visa but no longer works for me, do I have to report them?

Community Answer

No. No one is legally obligated to report anyone first of all, and a work visa is valid until it expires. The fact that person is no longer working for you has zero bearing on their legal status.
Question

Can someone be deported multiple times if they're an illegal immigrant?

Community Answer

If they are in the US illegally, they can be deported regardless of how many times they’ve previously been deported.
Question

If I received a letter asking me to leave the country and I didn't, and then I married a citizen. What happens?

Community Answer

First, are you an illegal immigrant? If you are and marry a citizen, you will not be deported. If you are a legal immigrant, check all your papers and contact the government if anything is wrong, or call the authorities if you suspect a non-government person is targeting you.
Question

Can a person who has lived in the US for over 20 years and just recently missed a 2018 deportation court date get deported if ICE has been tipped about the incident?

Community Answer

If you missed your hearing in immigration court, the immigration judge will order you deported “in absentia,” which means you'll be ordered to be deported for not showing up. However, there are exceptional circumstances in which the judge may reopen your case and continue the proceedings.
Question

Can an illegal be deported if he marries a U.S. citizen?

Community Answer

No, it is not possible for an illegal to be deported once he marries a U.S citizen.
Question

Is an illegal alien who is married to a US citizen a candidate for deportation?

Community Answer

If the immigrant is married to a US citizen, then they cannot be deported. Marriage changes their residential status.
Question

How long can someone stay with a tourist visa?

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Community Answer

The tourist business visa has a 180 day limit. During this time, the holder of the visa cannot seek paid employment and can only be a tourist.
Question

Someone at my work place is bragging of her false identity here while asking for political asylum and using Social Services to receive benefits and not reporting her earnings.

Hypotheticalpebble

Community Answer

Let her! people do what they need to to survive, and if all that's needed, it really isn't your problem.