Opinion for The Latino Newsletter

SAN DIEGO — On the night of April 10, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emailed me a notice basically saying I had to self-deport within seven days because “DHS was now exercising its discretion to terminate my parole.” The sender was legitimate. It came from a “cbp.dhs.gov” email address, and the recipient addressed was my email address. This was not a forwarded email from a client either.

The notice became effective April 11, 2025. I would have to self-deport on or before April 18, 2025. I was not alone in receiving this notice—other attorneys around the country did too. For context, the notice came on the heels of the Trump administration terminating humanitarian parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNVs) who were paroled into the U.S. in 2022–2023 for urgent humanitarian reasons and significant public benefit. A federal district judge has now blocked this Trump directive to terminate parole.

There was one huge problem with the notice, though: I did not have a place to deport to because I am a U.S.-born U.S. citizen. I was born in El Paso, Texas, and I am a resident of San Diego. My family immigrated to America more than a century ago. My great-grandfathers fought for our freedoms and defeated tyranny in World War II.

Yet here I was confronted with a government notice telling me, “It is time for you to leave the U.S.” And if I did not leave “immediately,” I faced “criminal prosecution, civil fines, and penalties, and any other lawful options available to the federal government.” One of those options was deportation. The notice ends with the ominous and callous reminder: “Do not attempt to remain in the United States —the federal government will find you.”

If it sounds familiar, it’s the same message that is currently blasted on our television screens in DHS Secretary Noem’s anti-immigrant propaganda campaign.

DHS has deemed their emailing of notices to attorneys as essentially an administrative error. They say I “may have” been an “unintended recipient,” and clients may have used my email address. However, DHS’s explanation just doesn’t make sense.

The thing is, all my CHNV clients paroled here have family, friends, or sponsors here. These clients are not detained and have easy access to email, and have provided their personal emails to DHS. Even if they did not provide their personal emails, they used their U.S.-based family member’s, friend’s, or sponsor’s email address. Also, my representation of CHNV parolees came way after the fact, after they provided their personal contact information to the government at the time of their paroled entry. Equally important, all my paroled clients reported receiving the notice on their personal email addresses.

The “unintentional” notice is a show of force and intimidation by the government to immigration attorneys across the country. This administration has a history of targeting the judiciary, law firms, and attorneys who stand up to it and defend the Constitution. This administration also thrives on innuendo. The notice serves as a reminder for immigration attorneys to back off.

I have every right to be concerned. This administration has made blatant legal errors and shows little regard for due process, a cornerstone of our legal system. It has detained U.S. citizens like Jose Hermosillo, held for 10 days in Arizona because he couldn’t communicate his status due to a mental disability, and Juan Carlos Lopez Gomez, held overnight even after his mother proved he was a citizen. It has deported U.S. citizen toddlers without family court involvement. It has sent people with no criminal history to CECOT, the brutal El Salvador prison, without notifying immigration judges or respecting asylum claims. That’s what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Andry Hernandez Romero.

Now the government is stalling to bring back a wrongfully deported individual, defying several federal court orders, including an order by the U.S. Supreme Court to facilitate the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia. Never in U.S. history has the president or the executive branch defied a Supreme Court order. We are seeing it happen in real time, and the next few weeks will be pivotal in determining whether the judicial branch will remain a co-equal part of government.

So, yes, given this administration’s unconstitutional actions and its reckless disregard for people in our country, especially its discrimination against Latinos, I remain concerned and vigilant. And given my frequent communication with DHS officials, government attorneys, and ICE, I can’t help but wonder if I’m on a list of immigration advocates the government, in authoritarian fashion, is trying to intimidate.

About the Author

Adam M. Peña is an immigration attorney at a nonprofit in San Diego, California, located in the highly diverse City Heights community. His immigration work involves removal defense, where he represents detained individuals in immigration court at the Otay Mesa Detention Center (OMDC).

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What We’re Watching

A Video Podcast From Us and CALÓ News: We posted our April 30 podcast collaboration with CALÓ News on our YouTube channel. The conversation with attorney Ester Mendez, a first-generation Oaxacan American who transformed a cycle of incarceration into a life of purpose. Ester was an incredible guest, as well as co-hosts Brenda Verano and Michelle Zacarias.

The Latino Newsletter welcomes opinion pieces in English and/or Spanish from community voices. Submission guidelines are here. The views expressed by outside opinion contributors do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this outlet or its employees.