Areas of Expertise

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) immigration attorneys’ expertise focuses on family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship, immigration enforcement, and removal defense.

Since 1979 we have helped expand the immigration expertise of attorneys, nonprofit staff, criminal defenders, and others assisting immigrant clients.

In addition to authoring the ILRC’s practice manuals, our expert attorneys have been published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ILW.com, Huffington Post, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Law and Social Policy, The Hill, LexisNexis Emerging Issues, and Fox News Latino.
 
We have also provided training to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, Federal Bar Association, The State Bar of California, Legal Aid Association of California, Judicial Council of California and more.

ILRC Statement on H.R. 495, the “Protection of Children Act”
Immigrant Youth
The ILRC joins numerous child welfare and immigration advocates across the country in urging all members of the House Judiciary Committee to protect the best interests of children by opposing H.R. 495, the “Protection of Children Act.” H.R. 495 asks Congress to break away from long-held standards of child welfare in the United States. This bill inhumanely seeks to strip vulnerable children of existing legal protections, and goes a step further to encourage the increased deportation of these children back to the very danger they fled from.

Sample One-Page Order Granting 1473.7 Motion
Post-Conviction Relief
So you’ve won a 1473.7 motion, now what? For immigration purposes it’s important to document the victory and secure a signed order from an immigration judge. The signed order need not go into great detail; under Matter of Pickering, it is sufficient for the order to state generally that the conviction was vacated on a ground of legal invalidity. Attached please find a sample order for a grant of a 1473.7 motion.

California’s New Budget Adopts Groundbreaking Changes Concerning Immigration Detention

Contact: Kemi Bello, kbello@ilrc.org, (415) 321-8568

                  Christina Fialho, CFialho@endisolation.org, 510-612-3570

California’s New Budget Adopts Groundbreaking Changes Concerning Immigration Detention
Provisions Include Moratorium on Detention Contract Expansion & Creation of State Detention Facility Oversight

Using Your Red Cards
Community Resources
Please reference the below documents for examples of the Red Cards in action. Special thanks to CultureStrike for creating helpful illustrations!

Rose Cahn’s Testimony before the US Commission on Civil Rights’ Hearing on Collateral Consequences
Crimes
Post-Conviction Relief
In May, the US Commission on Civil Rights convened a hearing on collateral consequences. The Commission solicited testimony from thought leaders about the lingering consequences that convictions can cause. Rose Cahn submitted testimony regarding the intersection of crimes and immigration law and laid out clear policy recommendations for jurisdictions interested in mitigating or eliminating the immigration consequences of criminal convictions.

400+ Organizations Oppose Republican Mass Deportation Bills for Undercutting Law Enforcement, Jeopardizing National Security, and Hurting Survivors

For Immediate Release: June 28, 2017
Contact: Jareyah Bradley, jareyah@balestramedia.com, (908) 242-4822

400+ Organizations Oppose Republican Mass Deportation Bills for Undercutting Law Enforcement, Jeopardizing National Security, and Hurting Survivors

Alien Smuggling: What It Is and How It Can Affect Immigrants
Family-Based
Immigrant Youth
Alien smuggling can affect an immigrant in several different ways:  Alien smuggling is a ground of inadmissibility, a ground of deportability, a bar to good moral character, and a conviction for alien smuggling is an aggravated felony.  Screening for alien smuggling is particularly important in light of Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security John Kelly’s memoranda directing his agency to prioritize immigration enforcement against alien smugglers, and U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Sessions’ directive to federal prosecutors to prioritize prosecution of alien smuggling.  This practice advisory will walk through what “alien smuggling” is, how it can affect an immigrant client in each of these contexts, and practice tips for when alien smuggling might come up in your client’s case.

Sessions' Legal Memo on the Executive Order Defunding Sanctuary Cities
Enforcement
In May 2017, Attorney General Sessions issued a memo clarifying the interpretation of Trump's Executive Order to de-fund "sanctuary furisdictions." The Memo narrowly defines "sanctuary jurisdictions" and explains that the de-funding threat only applies to a few grant programs. This advisory explains what Sessions' Memo said, and how it affects communities that might be considered "sanctuary jurisdictions."

Practice Alert on Flores v. Sessions: Ninth Circuit Holds that All Detained Children Have the Right to a Bond Hearing
Immigrant Youth
Removal Defense
This practice alert provides a summary of Flores v. Sessions, a recent Ninth Circuit decision that held that all detained children have the right to a bond hearing. It discusses why Flores v. Sessions was necessary, what its impact may be for detained youth, and details practice tips for advocates representing detained children seeking bond hearings.

California Crimes Summaries
Crimes
This page offers resources on “crim/imm,” the law governing the intersection of immigration and crimes, especially as it applies to California law.