Homeland security pushes US-born immigration lawyer to leave country
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US-born immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni received a deportation notice from the Trump administration in what experts say is a legally baseless action, intensifying concerns over due process violations and the targeting of citizens.
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The Department of Homeland Security seal is pictured as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tours the US Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak on March 17, 2025, in Kodiak, Alaska. (AP)
A Massachusetts immigration lawyer, Nicole Micheroni, born in the United States, spoke up on Tuesday after she received an email from Trump administration immigration authorities on April 11 with an order to leave the country.
The email's heading was "Notice of termination of parole," and read, "It is time for you to leave the United States...If you do not depart the United States immediately, you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States."
In a statement to NBC Boston, she explained that at first glance, she didn't think the email was for her, adding that "Probably, hopefully, [it was] sent to me in error. But it’s a little concerning these are going out to US citizens."
News of Micheroni’s email surfaces amid the Trump administration’s aggressive campaign to deport non-citizens from the US, including those who are legally present and have no criminal charges. Trump has even suggested, without providing specifics, the idea of deporting US citizens who commit certain crimes and imprisoning them in El Salvador.
However, legal experts affirm that deporting US citizens is against the law.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told NBC Boston that Micheroni may have received the notice because her name and contact details appear in client-related documents.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities “used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications”, a DHS official told the network.
“If a non-personal email such as an American citizen contact was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients," adding, “CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.”
Micheroni said, “I think it’s a scare tactic...I think they want people afraid of immigration.”
Trump’s secret goal: Deport one million migrants
The Trump administration has set its sights on a striking goal: deporting one million immigrants within a single year—a figure that would shatter all historical records.
According to a Washington Post report citing four current and former federal officials with direct knowledge of internal discussions, the “1 million” target has repeatedly come up in private strategy sessions as the driving ambition behind the administration’s intensified deportation campaign during President Trump’s first year back in office.
Deporting such a large number would significantly outpace prior records. The highest annual deportation figure to date was slightly over 400,000 during the Obama administration. However, officials say it remains unclear how Trump’s team is calculating the numbers.
Given current staffing levels, limited resources, and legal obligations—such as the requirement for court hearings in most cases—analysts cited in the report say the one-million deportation goal appears highly unrealistic, if not outright logistically unfeasible.
Two officials said, as quoted by The Washington Post, that White House adviser Stephen Miller has been meeting “almost daily” with Department of Homeland Security personnel and other federal agencies to devise strategies to achieve the target.
One potential approach involves deporting some of the 1.4 million immigrants who already have final removal orders but cannot be expelled because their countries of origin refuse to take them back. The administration is reportedly negotiating with up to 30 countries to accept these individuals, even if they are not citizens of those countries.
In court filings, the administration revealed plans to send “thousands” of immigrants to so-called third countries, a move that marks the most ambitious effort yet to bypass repatriation barriers. Officials have already begun deportations to countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama, even when deportees lack citizenship there, according to WashPo.
