SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego immigration attorney says he received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security asking him to self-deport.
Adam Peña is an attorney for a nonprofit organization in San Diego. He says he got the letter to his email inbox in mid-April.
"When I opened up the email, I was stunned and I was confused," says Peña.
Peña showed ABC 10News reporter Laura Acevedo the letter. It states that his parole would end 7 days from the date on the letter. It states that 'it is time for you to leave the United States.'
The problem is that Peña is a U.S. citizen and was born in El Paso.
"I'm still here. I have not self-deported. I don't have a place to self-deport to," says Peña.
He says his family has been in the country for over a century. He also showed ABC 10News his U.S. passport and his birth certificate.
Peña thinks he got the letter because of the clients he represents and he feels that it was an intimidation tactic by the Trump administration.
"I feel that I received this letter because the government is basically trying to exert its authority," says the attorney.
ABC 10News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to find out why Peña received the letter, and in a statement, a CBP spokesperson said the following:
"CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain. This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.
CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen contact—was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients. CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.
If an immigration attorney used their own email address while assisting an alien with documentation—such as CBP One applications—or if the alien listed the attorney’s contact information, termination notices could have been sent to recipients, other than to the alien directly, who appear to have served as a representative or point of contact for the alien.
To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly."
Peña says he will continue doing his work as an attorney and does not plan to self-deport.
