The crossover between immigration and criminal law is one of the most complex and technical areas of law. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is recognized as a national leader in criminal immigration law and immigration consequences of crimes. We provide critical support to immigration attorneys and criminal defenders through analysis, policy work, trainings, technical assistance, and developing and disseminating best practices. We also publish an in-depth practitioner’s guide, Defending Immigrants in the Ninth Circuit: Impact of Crimes under California and Other State Law.
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Latest in Crimes
12/21/2018
The master calendar hearing is the first hearing in removal proceedings before an immigration judge of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, during which serious substantive decisions can be made in an immigrant’s removal case. Advocates must be well prepared and have a clear case strategy in mind prior to the master calendar hearing, as well as a detailed plan for how to advocate during...
11/21/2018
At a time of unprecedented immigration enforcement where the federal government heavily relies on the criminal legal system to target immigrants and their families and communities, prosecutors play a critical role in determining immigrants’ fates in this country. Prosecutors across the country are beginning to recognize the important role they play as gatekeepers to the deportation pipeline. Many...
10/25/2018
In August 2018, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a call for amicus briefs to respond to the question of whether an ILRC-sponsored law, California Penal Code 1203.43, effectively vacated convictions for the purposes of federal law. With gratitude for the assistance of Prof. Jennifer Lee Koh, Western State College of Law, and Michael Mehr, the ILRC coordinated 37 other legal services...
10/15/2018
The BIA has held that that it will not give retroactive effect to California Penal Code § 18.5(a) on convictions from before January 1, 2015. It will consider a California misdemeanor conviction from before January 1, 2015 to have a potential sentence of up to one year, while a misdemeanor conviction on or after that date will have a potential sentence of up to 364 days. Having a potential...
09/28/2018
Thanks to the advocacy of the ILRC, CPDA, CACJ, and the ACLU, on September 27, 2018, Governor Brown signed into law amendments to California Penal Code Section 1473.7. The amendments will take effect January 1, 2019. This advisory contains practice tips for advocates and a detailed discussion about the changes to section 1473.7.