Montgomery immigration attorney weighs in on possible border wall

MONTGOMERY CO., AL (WSFA) - Uncertainty, questions, and fear are just some of the emotions Montgomery immigration attorneys say their clients have expressed, in the wake of a Trump presidency.

Attorneys who specialize in immigration law are taking the changes seriously, but admit they may not yield truly drastic changes.

January is typically a slow month for NeSmith Immigration Attorneys, LLC but since Trump took office, lawyers say their clients have doubled, even tripled.

"A lot of our clients are real concerned and worried about what is going to happen to them, what is happening to their families," said Attorney Stephen NeSmith, Jr.

NeSmith points to clients that own homes and don't know what the future holds with their property or people that may be married to a US citizen and want to file to become a permanent resident.

"Having a number of clients from these other countries, Mexico in particular, these are really good people. The overwhelming majoring of them are coming here to provide a better life for their families, for their kids," said NeSmith.

NeSmith says clients range from undocumented immigrants to those in the U.S. with a legal VISA or permanent residence concerned with losing their legal status.

"They've been coming in if they qualify for any immigration benefits they want to hurry and get those filed," said NeSmith.

Now that our new Commander In Chief is moving forward with plans to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, NeSmith speculates that change won't be drastic.

"President Trump, he can't change the law, he can issue directives on how it's enforced and what the priorities are and things like that, but the immigration laws that congress passed that have been on the books for years they're not going anywhere," said NeSmith.

NeSmith says if you're here lawfully and obeying the law nothing is going to happen, and he doesn't see a physical barrier changing that.

"If somebody would have qualified for permanent residency under our laws before President Trump they'll qualify for it after," said NeSmith.

However, the Montgomery attorney worries what message a wall sends.

"I certainly don't support anybody breaking the law, and I certainly support securing our borders but I feel like that's kind of a symbol of an us-versus-them," said NeSmith.

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