On January 15, 2019 an article was written in the Seattle Times entitled, “New milestone in King County: Immigrant count tops 500,000”. The article noted that there was a population surge in the county and that foreign-born residents accounted for a whopping 49 percent of the growth since 2010.
In like kind with this foreign-born population growth, there seems to have been a spike in domestic violence related cases within the county court systems, City and State. It is doubtful that this spike is due to foreign-born folks simply being more “criminal” than non-foreign-born people. In actuality, the spike is more likely related to the fact that those that are foreign-born have little understanding of how our domestic violence laws work and what exactly happens when a 911 call is made to the police. There seems to be a clear lack of sufficient education about Washington and US laws prior to these folks’ arrival from abroad. Employers that sponsor their foreign-born employees do a great disservice to these people by not ensuring they know and appreciate the basics of Washington laws, traffic and non-traffic alike.
Sadly, once a 911 call is made, there is often an arrest that follows (and even mandated in domestic violence cases), and thereafter a criminal charge that is filed. As a consequence, a foreign-born defendant (unlike a US Citizen) is not only facing the prospect of being convicted of a crime, but is also facing the prospect of being deported and losing their new job. In short, the stakes are ratcheted up for foreign-born, non-US citizens. That can be quite scary to say the least.
If cited for domestic violence it is always best to immediately contact a Seattle domestic violence attorney. The Seattle domestic violence lawyers that make up the criminal defense team of SQ Attorneys are highly qualified and reputable Seattle domestic violence attorneys that are dedicated to providing top notch, aggressive representation for those arrested for crime all across Western Washington and the Greater Puget Sound region. The team creates success by working with law enforcement and the prosecuting attorney’s office to ensure that all facts and circumstances related to the criminal allegations are considered in creating the fairest, most equitable and just resolution possible in light of all the surrounding circumstances of the given case. So, whether cited for domestic violence related assault, malicious mischief, property destruction or some other crime, protect yourself … call SQ Attorneys immediately at 206.441.0900.
