IDP has been working with Howard Bailey, a veteran who was deported in 2012 to Jamaica, a country he had not seen in over 24 years. Read Howard’s story published April 11 in Politico Magazine. “I often think about Friday dinners with my family. Every Friday, no matter what, my wife and I took our two children out to eat; … Read more »
On December 23, 2013, the Immigrant Defense Project joined with other immigrant rights’ organizations in filing an amici curiae brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. v. Castleman. In that criminal case, the federal government is asking the Court to adopt a broad reading of the “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” predicate crime provision at issue that would include … Read more »
On November 19th, in People v. Peque, the highest court in NY held that due process requires that judges warn defendants of possible deportation as a result of felony guilty pleas. The due process analysis is wonderful, and worth a read. The problem with the decision is the Court’s articulation of a remedy, or lack thereof. The Court ordered a … Read more »
On the removal defense litigation front, IDP is using the momentum from recent Supreme Court victories in Moncrieffe and Descamps to support efforts to roll back overreaching court interpretations of the deportation laws. Together with the Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic and other allies, last month IDP filed an amici brief in Carrasco-Chavez v. Holder, urging the Fourth Circuit to abandon its misguided rule that prevents some immigrants … Read more »
In Rojas v. Holder, __- F.3d ___ (3rd Cir. August 23, 2013), the full Third Circuit federal court of appeals upheld the appeal of the immigrant in a case where the government had ordered the person deported based on a Pennsylvania drug paraphernalia conviction even where the government had failed to show that the offense was related to a controlled substance on the … Read more »
The final Senate vote on the immigration bill has just been cast. This is a historic moment for the United States, but there remain serious problems with this flawed bill as it stands today. The Senate bill falls short of ensuring fundamental due process protections for all aspiring citizens, and disregards the safety and wellbeing of immigrant communities nationwide by … Read more »
In Olivas-Motta v. Holder, __- F.3d ___ (9th Cir. May 17, 2013) the Ninth Circuit became the fourth circuit court of appeals to reject the Attorney General’s decision in Matter of Silva-Trevino, 24 I&N Dec. 287 (AG 2008), which permitted immigration courts to find some immigrants who have been convicted of crimes removable on the basis of alleged facts about their criminal … Read more »
On May 16, the First Appellate Dept. ruled in People v. Antonio Badia that it was improper to dismiss Antonio Badia’s 440 motion because the defendant had been deported. IDP, along with the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, filed an amici brief arguing that defendants should be allowed to litigate post-conviction relief cases after deportation. The trial court had refused to look at the merits … Read more »
As the nation recovers from the horrific bombings in Boston, conservatives hastily called for delay of the Senate’s upcoming immigration reform debate, perhaps with the intent of proposing more extreme immigration measures and scoring political points with immigration opponents. Some likewise used the fear after Timothy McVeigh’s 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City as an impetus to pass drastic changes to … Read more »
The Supreme Court has released its long-awaited decision in Moncrieffe v. Holder, holding that an offense that punishes the transfer of small amounts of marijuana for no remuneration cannot be deemed a “drug trafficking crime” aggravated felony under the categorical approach. The Court’s 7-2 decision is also likely to have a beneficial impact on some other key issues regarding the proper … Read more »
We have postponed this event due to a last minute cancellation of the Floyd court case tomorrow.
Visit IDP’s Federal Immigration Policy page for analyses and updates.
The Defending Immigrants Partnership has published a Chaidez advisory detailing the claims for post-conviction relief that can still be asserted by immigrants who were not properly advised regarding the immigration consequences of a pre-Padilla criminal case. Chaidez is not the end of the story for these cases, and there are ways to fight dismissal of Padilla claims for convictions that … Read more »
In Pascual v. Holder, 12-2798, 2d Cir. Feb. 19, 2013, the Second Circuit held that third degree criminal sale of a controlled substance in violation of New York Penal Law § 220.39(1) is categorically an aggravated felony. The Court considered and rejected the argument in the Fifth Circuit’s unpublished decision in Davila v. Holder, No. 08-60530, slip op. (5th Cir. … Read more »
The Court issued its decision in Chaidez v. United States this past Wednesday. IDP worked extensively on amicus strategy and other support for the case. We are very disappointed in the decision and our hearts go out to all those who will be impacted by it. The Court held that Padilla is a “new rule” pursuant to Teague, and thus … Read more »
Check out IDP’s Padilla Post-Conviction Relief page for the latest news on Padilla retroactivity – Chaidez, Baret, and more! Also, IDP is working to make post-conviction relief accessible to deported defendants – for the latest arguments, go to the Post-Deportation Vacatur section on the Padilla PCR page. Post-Conviction Relief Resources Post-Conviction Relief State Summary Chart (10/21/2020) Prejudice Issues (last updated 2/8/2017) Access … Read more »
Over the years, those of us who fight for immigrant rights have heard our calls for a just immigration system rebuked by most politicians at the federal level. Instead, we have been met with an increasingly harsh mass deportation regime leading to the permanent exile of record numbers of our friends, family, clients, and community members. During the build up … Read more »
Everyone here at IDP hopes this email finds you and your loved ones safe following Hurricane Sandy. Our thoughts are with all those who are still trying to recover from the devastating storm. Disasters like these have an impact on all of us, but they make the situations of those who are most vulnerable even more precarious. Our hearts especially … Read more »
IDP has been working steadfastly to ensure the promise of Padilla both across the state and nationally by attempting to shape the way courts interpret the scope of post-conviction relief for Padilla advisals. We are pleased to share these two exciting recent victories: Appellate Division, First Department Holds that Padilla Applies Retroactively to Convictions at Least as Far Back as … Read more »
Read IDP’s new blog post on the North American Congress on Latin America website.