Exactly, Dan
And, not to gild your excellent lily, I'd like to expand on your:
"* Those who come to these United States form an oppressed community for the sole purpose of starting a new life."
The oppression one has experienced certainly can key up the anxiety level one feels when in a new country. But anyone can be anxious about coming into contact with law enforcement (or other official agents) too.
When I travel in Mexico it is always in the back of my mind that I really really don't want to see the inside of a police station. If I got a frenetic letter like this, before I had an appointment to talk to the police (for reasons unharmful to me), I might reconsider and head for home in a hurry.