I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what to tell my TPS clients about what’s going on in the news. If you’ve been following, you’ve probably heard something about the expiration of TPS, or Temporary Protected Status. And if you know someone from Central America...
DWI is not a deportable offense. Please allow me to repeat that: in and of itself, a DWI conviction will not cause your client to be deported. Not one, not two, not even three DWIs. It just isn’t an offense listed under the Immigration and...
ICE has issued an important update to its policy on ICE holds/detainers that will affect hundreds of non-citizens in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. Below is a summary of arrestees that are subject to ICE holds. Who is subject to ICE holds/detainers? On December 21, 2012, ICE Director...
You may have found this page because your relative was arrested for a criminal offense, and is being held in a county jail in Texas (or any other state for that matter). And when you tried to bond him out, you were told by a...
The Fifth Circuit held that burglary under New Mexico law is an aggravate felony under the Immigration and Nationality Act, because it counts as a “crime of violence.” Previously the Fifth Circuit held that a Texas burglary conviction is also a crime of violence. I’m not...
A finding of “abandonment of residence” is, or should be, a lawful permanent resident’s worst nightmare. This happens when a green card holder arrives in the United States at a port of entry — think, airport or border crossing point — and asks to be let back into...
You may be wondering where you can post bond for detainees at South Texas Detention Center, Laredo Processing Center, Port Isabel Detention Center, and Hutto Detention Center. Although you can post bond at locations all across the United States (e.g., locations stated here), you are probably...
I am often contacted by immigrant families wondering why their permanent resident-relative is being detained at an airport or other port of entry by Customs and Border Protection. In Texas, for example, green card-holders are often held up for secondary inspection at Dallas’s DFW Airport, Houston’s...
First, the Supreme Court says you should. In early 2010, the Court ruled that criminal defense attorneys are required to advise clients on the immigration consequences of their pleas. Failure to do so counts as “ineffective assistance of counsel.” Specifically, defense attorneys should advise non-citizens that...
While supporters of immigration reform are applauding ICE’s new immigration policy — which may lead to the dismissal of thousands of deportation cases — the policy could be bad for some aliens. In particular, it could make life worse for aliens who are likely to win relief from removal. This...
