If you are in custody, your consulate has the right to send a consular official to visit you, wherever you’re being held. Of course, the consulate may not choose to do so, but you should request it. You, or someone helping you, should at least call your consulate. Among other services, your consulate may be able to refer you to a reliable local immigration lawyer. Sometimes, a consular official will mistakenly advise people to cooperate with the immigration or other law enforcement officers, and recommend answering all their questions without first talking to a lawyer. This is bad advice. Make sure you consult with an immigration attorney before answering any questions or signing any papers.

Don’t choose a lawyer just because you’ve seen a lot of advertisements for him. (You see a lot of advertisements for Taco Bell, too, but if you have a choice, you go to a good taqueria.) Ask people in your community for recommendations about lawyers who’ve proven that they can do a good job. Also, make sure you’re working with an actual lawyer. There are “immigration services” run by paralegals (non-lawyers), which offer to “help you with the paperwork”—but you can’t count on them to handle genuine legal problems correctly. Immigration law is a particularly complicated and rapidly changing specialty. If you’re going to spend money on an immigration issue, you might as well hire a licensed attorney—and these aren’t necessarily more expensive. If you look around, you may be able to find a “public interest” law office or law clinic, run by good lawyers who are dedicated to helping low-income people. Sometimes these are affiliated with local law schools.