Passage of Proposition 64 Will Help Keep Immigrant Families Together

On Election Day 2016, Californians voted in favor of Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Proposition 64, decriminalizes marijuana possession for adults over the age of 21 and reduces certain marijuana offenses to infractions under state law for individuals between the ages of 18 and 20. Not only does the legalization of marijuana in the state attempt to rectify some of the unintended consequences of the “War on Drugs,” it has some positive implications for California’s immigration population. California is the place of residence for a quarter of the total foreign-born population in the U.S., or over 10 million immigrants. In fact, one out of every two California children live with a head of household who is foreign-born. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC), many legal permanent residents and undocumented immigrants have been the recipients of excessive penalties as a result of marijuana-related criminal convictions. Many of these convictions directly led these individuals to prolonged periods of detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), loss of green cards, and deportation. However, for immigrants it is important to keep caution. Marijuana is still a federally controlled substance. This means that despite California state law, the federal immigration authorities can still deny visas, green cards and other benefits to those who are inadmissible due to controlled substance offenses and violations. Not only can we help defend you against deportation from the United States, but we also can advocate on your behalf so that you can be released from detention and continue to work, if at all possible. Contact your immigration law attorneys at Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C., today, at (510) 756-4468. We will schedule a consultation for you to meet with one of our skilled and experienced deportation defense lawyers as quickly as possible. Do not delay in contacting us, so that we can begin helping you!