On October 11, World Journal (worldjournal.com) Los Angeles reporter Shao Min published a story on a Chinese student who was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while entering the country at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Lingtu Law case manager Karina Yu was interviewed for the piece and described what happened.
The case in the report
According to Karina, the student had worked in the U.S. before moving on to a PhD program and holds valid F-1 status. She recently renewed her visa in China. When she arrived at LAX and went through normal inspection, three ICE officers approached her, asked for her I-20, school documents and other identification, and checked her past visa records.
She was then taken to secondary inspection and could not readily use her phone to reach anyone. For more than an hour, officers went over her documents and made calls to verify information. They eventually let her in, but warned that she could be stopped again and told her to carry identity documents at all times. She was not taken into custody or placed in removal proceedings.
Karina also mentioned a second case: a Canadian citizen who has held a U.S. green card for more than 15 years and had an old DUI arrest in the U.S. was recently stopped by ICE on entry and removed.
Two reminders before you travel
Karina's advice in the report:
- If you have a past overstay or arrest record, be especially careful at airports and border areas, which are major sites of immigration enforcement.
- Whatever your status, make sure your identity and immigration documents are with you when you travel, so you can show them at entry or during an enforcement check.
The same report, citing the Washington Examiner, said ICE has begun an enforcement effort in California called "Operation Safe California," starting in the San Diego area and expected to last at least 45 days. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) neither confirmed nor denied it.
Voices from the front line
Lingtu's team includes not only attorneys but also case managers who work with clients every day. They are often the first to hear what clients are running into and what worries them. Karina spoke to World Journal on the firm's behalf about what she sees in that work.