Which part of DHS handles my issue?
Look at the letterhead and the form number first. By statute, the Secretary of Homeland Security administers and enforces the immigration law, and the work is split. USCIS decides applications and petitions. CBP handles ports of entry, the border and arrival records. ICE handles arrest, detention, bond, check-ins and removal, and its attorneys represent DHS in court. So a question about a pending green card goes to USCIS, a wrong arrival record goes to CBP, and a detained relative goes to ICE. A notice from one office says nothing about what another will do. If the paper is a Notice to Appear, the matter has moved toward the immigration court, which is outside DHS. Write the sender, the date and any deadline on the first page before you do anything else.
Why is DHS on the other side of my court case?
Because DHS brings the case. The regulations let many officers across USCIS, CBP and ICE issue a Notice to Appear, and proceedings begin when DHS files it with the court. In court, ICE's Office of the Principal Legal Advisor is DHS's exclusive representative. Treat that lawyer as your opponent, even when polite. DHS must prove certain things, may question you at the individual hearing, and can appeal a decision you won. In a custody case it can also seek an automatic stay of a release, as our bond hearing guide explains. Every filing you make needs proof of service on this office. Agreement is possible too, because some motions can be filed jointly, but that is DHS's choice. Have a lawyer ask for it. Do not assume a friendly conversation changes anything until it appears in writing.
Do I have to register, and what must I carry?
Federal law requires many noncitizens who stay 30 days or longer to be registered. Those 14 or older who were not registered and fingerprinted when getting a visa must apply before the 30 days end. Parents must arrange it for children under 14, and a child who turns 14 here must register within 30 days of the birthday. A Form I-94 or Form I-485 can already satisfy this; otherwise Form G-325R is filed online from a personal USCIS account, and a lawyer cannot submit it for you. Anyone 18 or older must carry proof at all times. Willful failure to register is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000, up to 6 months in jail, or both. Not carrying proof can mean up to $5,000, up to 30 days in jail, or both. Registering is not a status, and the form asks about your history under penalty of law, so if you entered without inspection or have an old order, speak to a lawyer before you submit it.
How do I get my records from DHS?
There is no single DHS file you can ask for. USCIS holds the A-file, which you request online through its FIRST system, one request per person. CBP holds records of entries, exits, inspections, apprehensions and expedited removal. ICE holds bond, medical and student records. The Department of State holds visa and passport records. USCIS tells people to look for a Form I-94 on CBP's site first, since it is rarely in the A-file. Request from each office that touched you, because a lawyer reviewing a past arrest or entry needs the original paper, not your memory. Sworn statements taken at the border can follow you for years, so ask for them. If you have an upcoming hearing, tell USCIS and prove the date with your Notice to Appear, a hearing notice or a printout from EOIR's online case system.
Where do I complain if something went wrong?
For a USCIS case stuck after normal customer service, the CIS Ombudsman takes DHS Form 7001 if you contacted USCIS in the last 90 days and allowed 60 days, but only USCIS can decide the case, and no deadline is extended. For conditions, force or rights violations in detention, do not count on the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman: reports say it shut down in May 2026, and DHS archived its intake page. Use the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties portal at engage.dhs.gov/crcl-complaint, or the DHS Inspector General hotline at 1-800-323-8603, with names, dates and places. For a medical concern in an ICE facility, call 1-888-351-4024. In an emergency, call 911. For repeated travel trouble at airports or borders, DHS TRIP gives you a seven-digit Redress Control Number to track your inquiry. None of these stops a removal or pauses a filing date. File the complaint and keep working on your motion, appeal or response at the same time.
Should I use the CBP Home app to leave?
Treat this as a legal decision, not an app download. DHS advertises a $3,000 exit bonus after confirmed departure, travel help and forgiveness of failure-to-depart fines. But its own page says the app does not include benefits or preferences for future applications at this time. It also says pending asylum cases are generally presumed abandoned if you leave, and that leaving with a final order will generally count as carrying out that order. Departure can also start bars on return, and a person with an in absentia order may be giving up a route to reopen. DHS itself suggests consulting an attorney first. Bring your notices to that meeting. Ace Immigration reviews these choices as part of its removal defense work.