SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX) – “It’s time for you to leave.”
That was the opening line of an email sent to Carlos Trujillo — a naturalized U.S. citizen working as an immigration lawyer in Salt Lake City — on April 11, ordering him to self-deport within seven days.
“I know the laws of this country,” Trujillo told Nexstar’s KTVX. “I am not leaving. I am not deportable. But I do want everybody to know that these kinds of things are happening.”
Trujillo said the “threatening language” of the email bothered him. Trujillo encouraged the immigrant community to be aware of the changes in the laws and to know their rights. He said many people who received the email are in the country under legal circumstances.
Trujillo isn’t the only one receiving a letter from the Department of Homeland Security saying it’s time to leave — a similar email was sent to hundreds of thousands of people across the United States.
The Associated Press reported that the phenomenon was “an apparent glitch” in the Trump Administration’s move to end a Biden-era policy that allowed people to live and work in the country temporarily. However, Trujillo came to the U.S. about 24 years ago, and has been a naturalized U.S. citizen for roughly a decade.
“I have gone through all the processes that I needed to go through to become a naturalized citizen,” Trujillo said. “And I have been around my community and the needs that they have, and that’s kind of why I decided to be there for them and help them out in this journey.”
Trujillo told KTVX that he has been an attorney for about 13 years, and has been specializing in immigration law with Trujillo Acosta Law for about 11 years.
“I don’t want to believe or draw conclusions that this is something personal against me or because of the work that I do with the community,” Trujillo said. “It’s just simply a mistake.”
Trujillo said Utah has “very respectful” judges and officers involved with immigration cases, but much of the recent guidance over immigration status has come from the national level.
“We’re seeing all these uniform characterizations that make no sense because our communities are diverse,” Trujillo said. “Our communities are … respectful of the law. Our communities are hardworking people.”
Other lawyers’ perspectives
“The laws do not require a person to self-report, or to self-deport. You don’t have to buy a plane ticket,” immigration attorney Christopher Vizcardo said. “You have to have a deportation order from a judge for you to leave the United States. And 98% of the people that were in this program are not in that boat.”
Vizcardo works at Trujillo Acosta Law and said the emails are being sent as a “fear tactic.” He advised those who get similar emails not to panic and talk about what legal options they may have.
“The government promises that people that would be deported would be those that would be a danger to our society,” Vizcardo said. “And instead, they seem to be deporting anyone and everyone.”
Another Utah attorney, Adam Crayk, told KTVX that the recent messages being sent to immigrants and international students may be the result of faulty technology. Crayk said that he would recommend responding to the email and asking for clarification.
“We are relying way too much on technology and not vetting it with our own actual, personal eyes,” Crayk said.
Crayk said that Trujillo is not actually required to leave because he is a naturalized citizen. However, if he were not a citizen, Trujillo may have to file a stay for relief, file for asylum, file a lawsuit, or take another similar course of action.
“Technology has its place. It does,” Crayk said. “But we can’t let it run rampant. We can’t let it make every decision for us. We actually have to intervene at some point and look and see if it’s making correct decisions.”
Crayk previously spoke to KTVX about immigration issues and concerns over BYU PhD student Suguru Onda’s visa being revoked earlier this month. Onda’s visa was reinstated the same day a lawsuit was filed against the Department of Homeland Security by several international students in Utah.
Other immigration concerns in Utah
“I have a ton of work to do for my community,” Trujillo said. “All I want to do is just keep up the good fight.”
Universities and educational institutions across the Beehive State have reported that international students’ visas had been revoked and their immigration statuses had been changed.
Additionally, several families in Millcreek, Utah, also reported receiving letters ordering them to self-deport within seven days. The letter threateningly warns “the federal government will find you” if they fail to leave to the United States in time.
The emails come as the Trump Administration continues its efforts to fulfill a campaign promise on mass deportations. However, Jim McConkie, a lawyer representing some of the Millcreek families, said they were in the United States lawfully.
“The part of this that really is unimaginable to a lawyer who’s practiced for 50 years, and some of those years in the Justice Department. … The United States government has sent out a letter to people who are lawfully in our country, making it seem as though they’re not. It’s a letter which misrepresents what’s actually going on and is intended as a scare tactic to get out of the country, with threats of fines and incarceration. It’s wrong morally, it’s wrong legally, and it needs to be challenged.”
The Associated Press and McKenzie Diaz contributed to this report.
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