A lawyer in Syracuse says many of his clients are gripped with fear because of federal policies addressing immigration.

Migrants in Syracuse say they’re being put in ankle bracelets and having their passports taken, said attorney Jose Perez.

Perez said his clients who are undocumented immigrants used to have regular check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But he said while the check-ins are continuing, what happens during them now isn’t “regular.”

“What happened just this week was that some of the clients were coming for the check-ins, and their passports were taken away," Perez said.

Passports, he said, are often the only form of identification these individuals have, so this could impact the person’s ability to do anything that requires identification, such as buying a ticket or seeking medical care.

“That's the way of ICE to control people. That's the way that they have to say or do whatever they want for them to do," Perez said.

He said his clients are also having ankle bracelets put on, restricting them to certain miles within the jurisdiction and requiring permission to go out of the range. Also, kids are being fingerprinted, potentially missing school to go to these check-ins, he said.

“There are some regulations that allowed ICE, or USCIS, to take the fingerprints for children that are beyond 13 years of age," Perez said.

Part of President Donald Trump’s list of executive orders on immigration policies includes utilizing “in-depth vetting and screening of all individuals seeking admission to or already present in the United States, including obtaining information to confirm any claims made by those individuals.”

“By invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks, bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil, including our cities and inner cities," Trump said.

“Most of the undocumented people, most of the immigrant community, are not committing crimes. They don't come here to commit crimes,” Perez said.

He wants to see immigration reform, including a path for legalization for people already here. Perez said he represents a family of migrants here illegally from Ecuador who left as their lives were threatened. They will be seeking asylum protections. 

Spectrum News 1 reached out to ICE for comment, and is awaiting a response.