New Jersey immigrants who are worried about legal status issues may want to follow a case that is currently unfolding in another state. A man there says he believes officials from the Department of Natural Resources have violated his rights by handing him over to immigration officers. The 31-year-old man is from El Salvador. He is currently being held in an immigration detention facility and fears that officials are planning to deport him to his country of origin.

It all started when the man was recently cutting down a tree. As the man was cutting down the tree at the home of one of his relatives, DNR officers showed up, saying he needed a license to do so. The officers reportedly handcuffed the man and took him into custody.

Some time later, DNR officials handed the man over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. A representative from the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) association said the most that DNR should have done in that instance is issue a fine to the man for cutting down a tree without proper licensing. The CASA rep said there was no legal grounds to make an arrest.

The immigration case continues to escalate. The man's family recently stood outside CASA headquarters with signs stating that their loved one is not a criminal and that families belong together. This is definitely not the only case in the country where someone has claimed to have been unlawfully handed over to ICE officers. Anyone in New Jersey currently facing such problems may wish to seek immediate legal guidance by requesting a meeting with an experienced immigration law attorney.