quick reference chart and notes for determining immigration - ILRC

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California Quick Reference Chart and Notes February 2010 Example: Harry is a U.S. citizen who is charged with soliciting a 17-year-old girl to engage in sexual conduct. If he pleads guilty, he may not be permitted to file a visa petition for an immigrant relative, unless he is able to obtain a waiver. 2. The Lawful Permanent Resident or “Green Card” Holder Defendant a. What is Lawful Permanent Residency? A Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) is not a U.S. citizen but is permitted to live and work legally in the U.S. permanently. It is the most secure immigration status, short of being a U.S. citizen. However, LPR’s are still subject to removal at any time if they violate the immigration laws. There are two types of permanent residents: Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR’s) and Conditional Permanent Residents (CPR’s). 14 Permanent residents are given “green cards” which state “Resident Alien” across the top of the card. Green cards actually are pink or white in color, not green. LPR status does not expire, although the green card itself must be renewed. LPR status can only be revoked by an immigration judge or by leaving the U.S. for such a long period of time that it is deemed abandoned. b. Defense Priorities for Lawful Permanent Residents Consider the following five steps in determining defense priorities. 1. Counsel must obtain and analyze the defendant’s entire criminal record and determine if the Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) already has become deportable based on a past conviction. If so, counsel must investigate what waivers or relief, if any, is available. If possible, counsel should avoid pleading to a second deportable offense – but in case of conflict, the first priority is to not destroy eligibility for some waiver or relief. See Step 3. 2. If the LPR is not yet deportable for a conviction, counsel must attempt to avoid a plea that will make the LPR deportable. The highest defense goal for a lawful permanent resident is to avoid becoming deportable for an aggravated felony, because this will not only subject him/her to removal proceedings, but will eliminates eligibility for virtually all forms of relief from removal. After avoiding deportation for aggravated felony, a LPR’s next highest priority is to avoid becoming deportable under some other ground (and in particular under a ground relating to controlled substances). 14 A conditional permanent resident (CPR) is a lawful permanent resident who gains status through marriage to a U.S. citizen where the marriage is less than 24 months old at the time of adjudication of the application for residence. CPR status expires after two years and an additional petition must be filed to become a regular permanent resident. 8 USC § 1186a and INA § 216. Immigrant Legal Resource Center N-17
California Quick Reference Chart and Notes February 2010 3. If due to the current charges or past convictions the LPR will be deportable for a conviction, the LPR is in a serious situation. A permanent resident who becomes deportable can be placed in removal proceedings, where an immigration judge can take away the person’s status and order her deported (“removed”) from the United States. If the deportable LPR has not been convicted of an aggravated felony, she might be able to apply for some relief. Criminal defense counsel must understand what if any defenses against removal exist for the individual, and how to preserve eligibility for the defense. This may require consultation with an immigration expert; see N. 17: Resources, and see Chapter 11, Defending Immigrants in the Ninth Circuit (www.ilrc.org). A common form of relief for deportable permanent residents who have lived in the U.S. for several years and have not been convicted of an aggravated felony is “cancellation of removal.” 15 Or, if not deportable for a drug offense, the resident might be able to “re-immigrate” through a U.S. citizen or LPR family member. 4. An LPR also has an interest in avoiding a conviction that would make him inadmissible. An LPR who is deportable might be able to apply for some waiver or relief – for example, to “reimmigrate” through a family member -- as long as he remains inadmissible. Also, if an LPR who is inadmissible for crimes leaves the U.S. even for a short period, he can be barred from re-entry into the U.S. Even if he manages to re-enter, he can be found deportable for having been inadmissible at his last admission. However, an LPR who is inadmissible but not deportable based on a conviction is safe, as long as he does not leave the United States. 5. If the LPR is deportable and has no possible form of relief from removal at this time, her biggest priority is to avoid encountering immigration authorities, and that is best done by getting out of jail before an immigration hold is placed. You should advise the person that once she is out of jail, she must avoid any contact with immigration authorities. She should not travel outside the U.S., apply to renew a 10-year green card, apply for naturalization, or make other contact with authorities. See “The Absolutely Removable Defendant,” below. 6. Finally, certain convictions will bar a permanent resident (or U.S. citizen) from being able to file papers for an immigrant family member in the future. The specified offenses include relatively minor crimes such as false imprisonment or solicitation of any sexual conduct, where the victim is a minor. For more information see Note 11, infra. 3. The Undocumented or “Illegal Alien” Defendant a. Who are undocumented persons? An undocumented person is someone who does not have legal status under the immigration laws to be present in the U.S. There are two 16 main categories of undocumented 15 For more information, please see Part II, Section C of this manual – Quick Guide to Cancellation of Removal for Legal Permanent Residents. 16 People who used to have status, but who now have a final order of removal (and are not under an “order of supervision”) are also undocumented. N-18 Immigrant Legal Resource Center
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