The subject line of the email that Nicole Micheroni received Friday from the Department of Homeland Security read "Notification of Termination of Parole," with one other line standing out most to her: "It is time for you to leave the United States." It was a surprising directive for Micheroni to receive—considering she's a 40-year-old Boston attorney who was born in Massachusetts, was raised and went to college there, and is and always has been a US citizen, reports the Boston Globe. Micheroni initially thought the email may have been meant for one of her clients, but there was no one else's name or ID number on the message, meaning the note to "self-deport" was apparently intended for her.
"The only name on the email was mine," Micheroni tells NBC Boston, noting it looked like "sketchy spam," not official government correspondence. "It said my parole status had been terminated and I should leave the country within seven days." It also warned, "Do not attempt to remain in the United States—the federal government will find you," per the Globe.
The Department of Homeland Security is chalking the email up to an error, noting in a statement that Customs and Border Protection had been issuing notices to terminate parole for individuals not allowed to stay in the US. The agency says that if the email for an American contact (for example, an attorney) had been provided at some point by an immigrant filling out paperwork, that email may have inadvertently found its way onto the list of those called to self-deport. "CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis," the DHS statement notes.
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But Micheroni says she knows other immigration attorneys who've received the same email, per WCVB. "It's a little concerning these are going out to US citizens," she tells NBC. "It says they're not being careful." Even though Micheroni feels secure in the knowledge that she's an American citizen, she worries about the effects of such letters disseminating, including the ones in error. "It's meant to be an intimidation tactic to get people to leave the country," she tells the Globe. "In some ways, I don't think they really care who they reach, as long as the message is being received." (President Trump has suggested he wants to deport US citizens, which legal experts say would be unconstitutional.)
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