Immigrants Have Civil Rights And Workers’ Rights, And We Are Proud To Defend Them
You have the same civil rights as a citizen in the United States, regardless of your immigration status. Tennessee immigrants are, unfortunately, frequent victims of civil rights, civil liberties, and workers’ rights violations by police, law enforcement, and bosses at work. Sadly, persons in powerful positions — government officials, police and employers — often violate immigrants’ rights because they wrongly believe that immigrants cannot defend themselves. Let Ozment Law, PLC take a look at your potential civil rights or employment case.
At Ozment Law, PLC, we have a long history of standing up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, here in Nashville and throughout Tennessee. Our immigration and civil rights attorneys have been successful in holding law enforcement and employers accountable for poor treatment of immigrants, both legal and undocumented. We have seen the many ways people’s rights can be violated, and we will do everything in our power to uphold yours, while seeing that justice is served.
In some cases, we may even determine, based on the violation, that you can seek monetary compensation for loss of your rights. Whatever the violation of your rights, Ozment Law, PLC’s talented and experienced civil rights team welcomes discussing your case and the potential benefits of standing up for your rights.
Civil Rights Violations
Law enforcement often insists it is just “doing its job,” but there are times when immigrants are stopped, arrested and handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) solely based on racial profiling. We have seen local police arrest immigrants on false charges or detain suspected immigrants solely to verify their immigration status. Police also sometimes search a person’s belongings without any reason. These examples may be violations of your civil rights. If these or other inappropriate law enforcement conduct have happened to you or a family member, our lawyers may be able to help.
We will review your case and look for all possible solutions. We may be able to find relief for you under the existing immigration law. If not, we may advise you to permit us to file a motion to suppress evidence the government obtained illegally and file a civil rights action against the law enforcement agency that detained you.
Meanwhile, we will search for options that would allow you to stay in the country legally. We will do everything in our power to prevent you from being separated from your family.
Some of the civil rights violations our attorneys have encountered include:
- Illegal searches and detentions
- Searches and seizures that are unreasonable
- Stops based on race, ethnicity or nationality
- Discrimination
- Denial of fundamental rights such as parenting or bodily integrity
- Police or jail abuse, including excessive use of force
- Violations of free speech, illegal censorship or government retaliation
- Abuse of positions of power
- Unlawful detention and deportation
Workers’ Rights Violations
Unfortunately, some employers in the United States hire undocumented workers, but then fail to pay them for their hard work and threaten to call the police if they complain. This is illegal, and these employers should be held accountable. All workers are entitled to many basic protections on the job, regardless of immigration status.
Whether a violation of workers’ rights occurred nearly always depends on the type of work the worker was doing. Consult with a qualified lawyer who knows about immigration and the rights of workers and employees. Violations of workers’ rights may include:
- Failure to pay the minimum wage
- Failure to pay overtime when employees work more than 40 hours per week
- Discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion or national origin
- Abuses and lies to agricultural or temporary guest workers such as under the H-2A, H-1B or H-2B programs
- Dangerous or dirty work conditions
- Intimidation and retaliation
- Illegally discouraging employees’ efforts to form a union
- Causing workers to perform labor against their will such as through intimidation or coercion
If this has happened to you, or to a loved one, please call our attorneys. We are strong advocates for all workers’ rights — undocumented and documented alike. We have been successful at getting our clients’ stolen wages paid to them, and, for those immigrant workers who are victims of workers’ rights violations and certain employment-related crimes, obtaining certified U visas so they can legally work in the United States for up to four years.
Let Us Protect Your Rights
Call us at 615-321-8888 or send us an email to schedule a consultation with one of our civil rights or workers’ rights attorneys. Hablamos español.