An ICE detainer (Form I-247A) is an administrative request asking a local/state jail or police to: (1) notify ICE before releasing a person thought removable, and/or (2) hold that person up to about 48 hours so ICE can assume custody. Detainers are requests, not warrants, and jurisdictions can decline to honor them; if honored, they may lead to ICE custody, but courts and policy limits affect whether and how long someone can be held.
A “final order of removal” is a binding immigration order (from an immigration judge, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or by operation of law) requiring a noncitizen to leave the U.S.; once final, DHS may execute removal. After issuance the typical steps include (as applicable) filing for stays or appeals to federal court, ICE scheduling and carrying out physical removal, or—if the person reenters unlawfully—possible reinstatement of the prior removal order and criminal or civil immigration consequences.
The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office is a DHS office that provides case information and victim services to U.S. families and victims of crimes committed by noncitizens; services include case status updates, referrals to counseling and support, information about victims’ rights and federal services, and help navigating federal victim-compensation resources.
California’s “sanctuary” laws (notably SB 54, the California Values Act) limit use of state and local resources for federal immigration enforcement: they generally prohibit honoring nonjudicial ICE detainers or transferring people to ICE without a judicial warrant or statutory requirement, and restrict sharing certain information (e.g., release dates) and participation in immigration enforcement programs—thus reducing routine local-federal cooperation unless a judicial warrant, criminal conviction category, or other legal exception applies.
Prosecutions for sexual assault typically rely on physical evidence (injuries, biological evidence like blood or semen), witness statements, forensic testing (DNA), and medical examination findings documenting injury and timing; medical/forensic exam (e.g., “rape kit”) evidence can corroborate assault, link a suspect via DNA, and strengthen charging/conviction chances, though prosecutions may proceed with or without such evidence depending on circumstances and other corroboration.
Verification that someone was removed and later re-entered uses federal immigration and border records maintained by DHS components: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Border Patrol record encounters and removals; ICE/ERO maintains removal records and A-numbers; DHS also uses travel/entry/exit and enforcement databases (TECS, IDENT/IAFIS) to track entries, removals and reinstatements. FOIA or interagency checks by ICE/CBP can confirm removal and reentry.
Commonly forged immigration documents include counterfeit or altered Permanent Resident Cards (green cards), fake or stolen Social Security cards, fraudulent visas and passports, and bogus employment authorization documents. Possessing, producing, or using fraudulent immigration documents can lead to federal criminal charges (fraud, identity theft, using false documents) and civil immigration penalties, removal, and imprisonment depending on the offense.