Whether you are an adult citizen or a non-citizen of the United States, you have several rights if you are arrested. The most important are your “Miranda” rights. Before any Federal agent questions you, you must be informed that you have the right to remain silent and that anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.
You have the right to have a lawyer present while you are questioned and if you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you. These very important rights are guaranteed in our Constitution. If you are not given these warnings, an attorney can ask that any statements that you made to the Federal agents not be used against you in court. Please note: these rights do not apply if you volunteer information without being questioned by the police or if you waive these rights.
You can be questioned, without a lawyer, if you voluntarily give up your rights and you understand that you have waived them. If you begin answering questions, you can stop at any point and demand to see a lawyer. If you continue to answer questions after requesting a lawyer, it is possible that your answers can be used against you if you later testify to something different. At the end of the booking process, that is when your arrest is made apart of the official records and you are finger printed and photographed, you will be given the right to make and complete three telephone calls within the local dialing area.