Residents with questions about immigration enforcement, detention cases, and shifting federal policy can hear directly from an immigration attorney at a free community forum Sunday, August 9, at First Presbyterian Church of Farmington, 26165 Farmington Rd. in Farmington Hills.

The RSVP deadline for lunch is Wednesday, August 5, at noon.

Rev. Kevin Piecuch, an immigration lawyer and founder of the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center, will lead the discussion. His center is the largest provider of free and low-cost immigration legal services in the Detroit area, according to its website, with a focus on recent immigrants and asylum seekers.

Piecuch is also an ordained Presbyterian minister who served as a pastor and hospital chaplain before turning to immigration law. On a July 29 broadcast of WDET's "The Metro," the station reported that his current caseload is dominated by detention cases and that he recounted witnessing arrest records submitted to a judge at a bond hearing containing information he called flatly false.

The forum, titled "Community Conversations: Understanding Immigration in America," begins at 11 a.m. with a light lunch offering vegan and meat options, followed by Piecuch's presentation. Four topics are on the agenda: how immigration policy and enforcement have changed in recent years, day-to-day experiences of immigrants, legal challenges facing immigrants, and immigration facts versus myths.

The event comes amid a shifting legal landscape in Michigan. In May, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a federal mandatory-detention policy that had stripped many immigrants of the right to request bond, according to WDET. Immigration attorneys in metro Detroit have also reported ICE agents showing up at homes and workplaces of people with pending asylum applications.

Attendance is free. Donations collected at the event will benefit the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center.

To RSVP for lunch, email [email protected] or call 248-474-6170 by noon Wednesday, August 5. Indicate vegan or meat preference when registering.