Abogado Ray Maldonado on Following Armed Vigilantes Through the Sonoran Desert,

What happens when a kid from the Arizona-Mexico border who grew up throwing rocks from his grandmother's backyard into Mexico, drops out of Stanford Law to follow armed Minutemen through the Sonoran Desert with a video camera, comes back, finishes his degree, and builds one of Phoenix's most feared immigration and criminal defense firms — one with 1,200 Google reviews, 50 people on staff, a worksite raid defense that became local counsel on the federal civil rights lawsuit that took Joe Arpaio down, an argument that made it to the Arizona Supreme Court on behalf of a client whose prior attorney told him the plea would be fine, and a book that ended up required reading at Harvard Law? In this episode of the Trustcast Show, Zane Myers speaks with Ray Maldonado — Abogado Ray — about what is actually happening to immigrants under the current administration, why the claim that ICE is only targeting criminals is a thousand percent false, and what to do in the first hour after a family member is detained. Ray explains the difference between detention and deportation, what a U visa is and why most people don't know they qualify, what cancellation of removal requires — 10 years, qualifying relatives, and extreme and unusual hardship — and why the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is structurally different from immigration courts in a way that matters enormously for anyone trying to get a fair hearing. They also discuss what a motion to suppress evidence actually means and why winning on the government's constitutional violation is not a technicality but a vindication of the Bill of Rights, the Miguel Angel case where Ray took a worksite raid defense to not-guilty on all counts and the client eventually won a green card, why showing up to court scared that you'll be deported in handcuffs that same day is the most common sign of misinformation he sees, and why leading with passion and service rather than money has resulted in horses, five cars, and a multi-million dollar house while doing work that most people assume has no money in it. Ray Maldonado is the founder of Abogado Ray Law Firm in Phoenix, Arizona, practicing immigration law and criminal defense. Connect with Ray Maldonado: Phone: 602-910-4040 Social: @AbogadoRay on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Ray Maldonado 00:51 Dropping out of Stanford Law to follow armed Minutemen through the Sonoran Desert with a video camera 01:46 Being an immigration lawyer in the second Trump administration — winning a federal habeas corpus today 02:58 The habeas corpus case — bond hearings being denied for people with no criminal history and five US citizen kids 04:24 The claim that ICE only goes after criminals — why that is a thousand percent false 05:23 ICE shows up at your home — what to do right now 06:44 My family member was just detained — what do I do in the first hour 07:30 The difference between being detained and being deported and what options exist for each 08:20 Protections people didn't know they had — U visas, challenging the NTA, and the government's burden of proof 09:21 If someone has been here 15 years with US born kids — are they automatically protected 10:15 The 10-year magic number and cancellation of removal explained 10:44 Fear of talking to a lawyer — what attorney-client privilege actually protects 11:27 A DUI or minor drug charge that suddenly triggers deportation — how does that happen 12:30 Why non-citizens need both a criminal defense attorney and an immigration attorney 13:20 Growing up on the Arizona-Mexico border — throwing a rock from grandma's backyard into Mexico 14:19 Defending immigrants in Arizona state court and why it is harder than defending a citizen 15:23 What it means to win at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and why it matters for someone in Eloy Detention 16:44 Why the Ninth Circuit is different from immigration courts — and why every administration dislikes it 17:03 Motions to suppress evidence — using the government's own constitutional violations to win cases 18:54 Rapid fire — baseball or law, naming his sons Ray Emerson and Stokely Daniel, toughest courtroom opponent 20:45 The one thing a scared client says that immediately tells Ray they're misinformed 21:37 The Miguel Angel case — a worksite raid defense, a not-guilty on all counts, and a path to citizenship 23:45 How mission-driven practice leads to financial success — 50 staff, horses, five cars, and Japan trips 25:22 How a single worksite raid became local counsel on the federal civil rights case that took Arpaio down 26:32 Marketing a 14-year firm — 1,200 Google reviews and referrals compounding every day #AbogadoRay #RayMaldonado #TrustcastShow #ImmigrationLaw #DeportationDefense #CriminalImmigration #ICERights #HabeasCorpus #ArizonaImmigrationLawyer #KnowYourRights