Immigration attorney says DHS told her to self-deport within 7 days, despite US citizenship

BOSTON (WCVB) - An immigration attorney, who is a United States citizen, says she got an emailed letter from the Department of Homeland Security telling her to self-deport within seven days.

Nicole Micheroni, a Boston-based immigration attorney, was born, raised and went to college in Massachusetts. So, she says was surprised by an emailed letter dated April 11 from DHS.

The first line in the letter tells Micheroni that “it’s time for [her] to leave the United States.” It goes on to say that DHS “paroled [her] into the United States for a limited period” and that it is now “exercising its discretion to terminate [her] parole.”

Micheroni was told to self-deport within seven days.

“Well, I think in my case, I’m lucky because I do have a port. I have a birth certificate. Both show that I am a U.S. citizen, and I am not somebody that needs to leave,” the lawyer said.

She says she knows other immigration attorneys who have received the same email.

Many of Micheroni’s clients have deportation issues, but she says they are not the only ones calling her office. She’s gotten calls from U.S citizens afraid to travel, permanent residents and people on other types of visas.

“Everybody is just really worried the immigration crackdown is going to affect them,” the lawyer said. “There’s a lot of people that are perfectly within their rights to stay here and are being told to leave, and a lot of people don’t know the difference.”

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson released a statement regarding the letter Micheroni received, which reads in part:

“CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen —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.”