Cerritos College hosted ¡Conozcan Sus Derechos! (know your rights) – an information workshop to help educate students and the community on their rights when it comes to immigration via Zoom on Jan. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Dr. Jose Fierro, Cerritos College president, attended the Zoom meeting along with guest speakers from the Los Angeles County Office of Immigration Affairs and Immigrant Defenders Law Center.
The Zoom call was public but private for all those who joined, your face would not be shown during the call and were allowed to be an anonymous attendee.
500 people were present on the Zoom call and 200 plus were still present till the end of the Zoom call.
The Immigration Affairs of Law Center presented what people who are undocumented should know about their rights as immigrants.
They started with ¿Cuáles son mis derechos constitucionales? (What are my constitutional rights?) those rights are the right to be quiet, the right to not open the door without a signed warrant from a judge of the U.S., the right to speak to a lawyer and the right to not sign any documents without the presence of a lawyer.
¿Qué es un Abogado/a? (What is a Lawyer?) A lawyer in immigration is someone who studies the law and who can help someone determine if they are qualified for immigration relief in the U.S.
¿Qué es un Notario? (What is a Notary?) Be careful that a notary is not a lawyer in the U.S.
Corte De Inmigración (Court of Immigration) A person has the right to look for a lawyer but they are not guaranteed a free lawyer. It can be requested for more time to look for a lawyer.
One may attend court many times and the process can take up to months or years. They have the right to an interpreter if they don’t speak English.
Cosas Importantes A Tener En Cuenta (Important things to keep in mind) always follow the laws of the U.S. the age of consent in the U.S. is 18 years old, one can get a driver’s license or identification from the DMV, they must file their taxes every year, make sure their kids are in school and marijuana is not federally legal.
Documentos que debe de tener contigo (documents you should have with you) People should have their red card, California driver’s license, social security, employment authorization card and Department of Homeland Security U.S. citizenship and immigration services.
Si se encuentra con ICE en público o en su trabajo (if you run into ICE in public or at your work) a person does not need to answer any questions.
¡Si ICE toca la puerta de su casa o auto, no abras la puerta! (If ICE knocks on your door or car do not open the door!.)
The workshop also presented a Southern California bilingual rapid response legal resource hotline on the heels of Trump’s mass detention agenda launched by ImmDef.
