A
Reuters investigation
has revealed that an immigrant’s likelihood of success in immigration
court often depends on which immigration court hears his or her case.
This report tells the story of two Honduran women who were driven from
their native countries with their children after death threats from armed
gang members unhappy with their efforts in a local parent-teacher association
to rid the school campus of violent gangs. After traveling across Mexico,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained both women near
Hidalgo, Texas, and placed them in an immigration detention center in
Artesia, New Mexico. Both women then applied for asylum. From there, the
women’s paths diverged. Sandra joined her husband in California,
where she received asylum from a San Francisco immigration judge following
a September, 2016 asylum hearing. Meanwhile, Ana reunited with her husband
in the southeastern United States, where her asylum case was assigned
to a Charlotte, North Carolina, immigration court. After hearing a story
identical to the story that Sandra told in California, the North Carolina
judge denied Ana’s asylum petition and ordered her to be deported.
Currently, Ana is awaiting a rehearing on her petition after lawyers were
able to get her case reopened. This story illustrates the differences
in “justice” that an immigrant can receive, all depending
upon which immigration court hears his or her case. Statistics about success
in immigration court nationwide, taken from the Executive Office for Immigration
Review, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice, tell a similar
story. In Charlotte, 84% of cases result in deportation. In San Francisco,
36% of the cases end in deportation. An immigration judge in New York
orders deportation in only seven percent of cases, while a Houston immigration
judge orders deportation in 94% of cases. In Atlanta, 84% of cases end
in deportation. No matter their location, individuals who may have a valid
deportation defense need an experienced California immigration attorney
who can assist them with this often complex process. At
Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., we know how to stand up for the rights of those who are legally entitled
to remain in the U.S.
Call us today
at (510) 756-4468 and schedule an appointment with one of our deportation
defense lawyers, and learn how we can assist you.
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