U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been stepping on immigration enforcement activities. Here’s a recent article from the Associated Press: Federal authorities say a six-day sweep of South Florida has netted 19 illegal immigrants with criminal records. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the operation that ended Thursday also caught four fugitives with final orders of [...]

Cancellation of Removal for non-Permanent Residents is a form of relief from deportation available to foreign nationals who meet the following four requirements: Have been physically present for a continuous period of at least ten years preceding the date deportation proceedings are commenced; Has had good moral character during that ten year period; Has had no convictions for any crime(s) that can render the [...]

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled yesterday in Matter of Portillo-Gutierrez, 25 I&N, Dec. 148 (BIA 2009) that a step-child who meets the definition of a child under the immigration laws, is a qualifying relative for establishing exceptional and extremely unusual hardship for the purposes of cancellation of removal as a defense from deportation. The Immigration Judge who heard Mr. [...]

A deportation notice (called a Notice to Appear or an NTA) means the United States’ government wants to remove you from the country. All deportation cases are handled by the Executive Office of Immigration Review, also known as Immigration Court. Immigration Court The USCIS will assign an experienced government trial lawyer to prosecute your case (i.e. prove that [...]