Criminal and Immigration Law

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.

California Quick Reference Chart

Go here for short articles (“Notes”) on several crim/imm topics, as well as the public-facing California Chart.

Immigration advocates and criminal defenders can access additional materials, including the full California Quick Reference Chart, educational videos, articles, and a blog, by filling out this form.

Latest in Crimes

Understanding City Government Structures in Texas

07/10/2020

Before pushing for change at the city level, it is important to understand your city government’s structure, as well as the responsibilities and powers of elected and appointed city officials, such as the Mayor, City Council, Police Chief, City Attorney and City Manager. This resource is for Texas advocates and explains the differences between the two major forms of city government in Texas, the...

Flow Chart on Penalties for Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude

06/29/2020

Penalties for crimes involving moral turpitude (CIMTs) are based on several factors, such as the number of CIMTs, date of commission, imposed and/or potential sentence, and whether there was a conviction versus admission of the conduct. The result is that determining whether a CIMT penalty actually applies can be quite complex. This set of four flow charts can be used to answer four questions...

Practice Advisory: Avoiding the Stop-Time Rule after Barton v. Barr

06/29/2020

This Practice Advisory is a detailed follow-up to our prior Practice Alert on the Supreme Court's April 23, 2020 decision in Barton v. Barr , 140 S. Ct. 1442 (2020). In Barton , the Court held that committing an offense “listed in” the inadmissibility grounds at INA § 212(a)(2) triggers the "stop-time" rule for purposes of cancellation of removal eligibility, even for an admitted LPR who cannot...

A Budget to Save Lives, CA COVID-19 Public Health and Safety Budget

06/23/2020

The COVID-19 pandemic demands a bold, urgent public health response for incarcerated communities. Even before this health crisis, California’s jails, prison system, and immigration detention centers were dangerously overcrowded and medically negligent. The Dignity not Detention Coalition, in partnership with CURB, JusticeLA, and Human Impact partners, created A Budget to Save Lives, a community-...

All Those Rules About Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude (June 2020)

06/18/2020

A conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT) may or may not hurt an immigrant, depending on a number of factors set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act: the number of CIMT convictions, the potential and actual sentence, when the person committed or was convicted of the offense, and the person’s immigration situation. A single CIMT conviction might cause no damage, or it might...

Crimes