Contact Us
Defense lawyers, other criminal justice advocates, immigrant advocates and immigrants themselves who seek training, legal support or guidance on criminal/immigration law issues should contact IDP at 212-725-6422.

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The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP), formerly an initiative of the New York State Defenders Association, defends the legal, constitutional and human rights of immigrants facing criminal or deportation charges.  We are the nation's first project founded to respond to the devastating 1996 immigration laws that placed hundreds of thousands of immigrants at risk of mandatory detention and deportation for virtually any interaction with the criminal justice system.

IDP promotes a transformation of the criminal justice and immigration systems so that they do not result in the exile of immigrants from their homes and families in the United States .  We also seek to minimize deportation and detention under current laws for immigrants facing criminal charges or subsequent deportation.

Practice Advisory:  Recent Developments in the Categorical Approach: Tips for Criminal Defense Lawyers Representing Immigrant Clients (October 9, 2009) (416K PDF)

This advisory for criminal defense attorneys, prepared by IDP and the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, gives a brief overview of new developments in the "categorical approach" that immigration courts use to determine the immigration effects of a conviction and offers concrete practice tips for defense counsel in light of these changes.

Updated Removal Defense Checklist In Criminal Charge Cases (343K PDF)
(Updated through 9/5/09)

This checklist offers a listing and brief synopsis of legal arguments and strategies that a lawyer or immigrant may raise in immigration removal proceedings based on a criminal conviction or charge.