“The Trump administration operates, in many ways, on a mix of cruelty and incompetence,” she said. “It’s hard to know what the exact process was by which I happened to receive that email in the middle of the night, East Coast time.”

Steele said the notice was indicative of “this fear that the Trump administration is attempting to create” — both for immigrants and even for lawyers. Citing “rampant fraud and meritless claims,” the administration last month issued a memo ordering sanctions and stricter oversight of immigration attorneys.

Andrea Castillo, ‘It is time for you to leave’: DHS mistakenly sends notices to U.S. citizens