Removal Defense Resources for Criminal-Immigration Cases
- Removal Defense Checklist in Criminal Charge Cases
- Immigration Consequences of Crimes Summary Checklist
- “Particularly Serious Crime” Bars on Asylum and Withholding of Removal: Legal Standards and Sample Case Determinations
This chart will aid in the legal representation of immigrants in criminal and removal proceedings. Specifically, this chart will help attorneys evaluate whether a criminal conviction constitutes a “particularly serious crime” barring asylum or withholding of removal. - Fighting Aggravated Felony Charges Resource
Immigrant Defense Project’s “Fighting Aggravated Felony Charges” resource has been revised and is now available with updates current as of January 2017. The digital, subscription-based resource provides access to the most recent information available about legal arguments and supporting case law to challenge aggravated felony charges in removal, asylum/withholding, naturalization, and other immigration proceedings, as well as in federal criminal proceedings.
Advisories and Guides for Immigration Lawyers
- DHS Enforcement Guidance: Practice Advisory for Immigration Advocates (November 2021, by IDP, ILRC, and NIPNLG)
- Practice Alert for Immigration Attorneys and Advocates: Marijuana Legalization and Considerations for Immigrant New Yorkers (March 2021)
- Practice Advisory for Immigration Advocates: The Biden Administration’s Interim Enforcement Priorities (March 23, 2021, by IDP, ILRC, and NIPLG)
- Practice Alert: The Impact of Barton v. Barr on Eligibility for Cancellation of Removal (May 5, 2020) (by IDP, ILRC, and NIP-NLG)
- Practice Advisory: Rights and Obligations of Noncitizens During ICE Car Stops (April 29, 2020)
- Practice Advisory: New York Marijuana Decriminalization, Vacatur, and Expungement Legislation (August 28, 2019, by IDP)
- BIA Decision in Matter of Navarro Guadarrama Should Not Affect Harbin/Hylton Defenses in the Second Circuit
- Practice Advisory: “One Day to Protect New Yorkers” Legislation (Updated January 24, 2020)
On April 12, 2019, the governor signed One Day to Protect New Yorkers into law, changing the maximum possible sentence for class A misdemeanors and unclassified misdemeanors from 365 days to 364 days. - Best Practices for Intakes about the Criminal Legal System Contacts
- ICE Courthouse Arrest Intake Questions
- Naturalization Considerations for People with Prior Law Enforcement Contacts
- Alert: USCIS Policy Guidance on Immigrants and State Marijuana Legalization
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I get proof of an “undocketed arrest” in NYC?
- How can I find my criminal defense attorney in NYC?/ ¿Cómo encontrar a tu defensor criminal en la Ciudad de Nueva York?
- What should I know about applying for immigration benefits after my client’s criminal case was dismissed?
- How can I learn what happened in my criminal court case in New York City?
Quick Reference Charts for Immigration Consequences of Criminal Offenses
These charts list common criminal offenses, and whether they might trigger an immigration ground of removability (and thereby subject an immigrant to deportation).
- New York (Updated December 2019)
- Albama (Updated March 2017)
- Arizona (Updated June 2016)
- Connecticut (Updated May 2017)
- Massachusetts (Updated May 2018)
- North Carolina (Updated 2017)
- Pennsylvania (Updated March 2019)
- Vermont