Tell the truth
One of the difficult things about practicing immigration law is simply discovering the truth.
For someone who is undocumented in the U.S., living with a false name and documents becomes ingrained and small falsehoods for self-protection are the norm.
However, when you are consulting with a lawyer to help with legal status, it is critical to tell the whole truth, so that the situation can be analyzed and you can be properly advised.
I often hear about lawyers, friends or family members who tell the clients to lie, omit important facts, or shade the truth. This can only come back to “bite you”, because it is difficult to remember what you told this person or that, and discrepancies cause Immigration officers to assume fraud.
So, just like my mother taught me: HONESTY is the BEST policy.
If the truth or facts will cause you problems with Immigration, an honest assessment by a knowledgeable immigration attorney is important.
