What are Removal Proceedings?

Removal proceedings or deportation proceedings are adversarial proceedings held in immigration court when the government is attempting to remove an immigrant from the country. A government attorney will argue against your remaining in the country. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to consult with an attorney and have him or her represent your interests in court. The immigration court will first set your removal case for a Master Calendar hearing. At this hearing, the immigration judge handles administrative matters related to your case, such as scheduling, applications for relief, and pleading to the removal charges. Master Calendar hearings generally involve 20 to 30 cases being scheduled during a two-hour period. The immigration judge will schedule your removal case for an individual hearing, or a hearing on the merits of your removal case. You are required to attend all hearings in your removal case, which may be held in person or via video conference. Telephonic hearings also may be available in some circumstances. While removal hearings might seem more formal in nature, they are still administrative proceedings in which the formal rules of evidence do not apply. This means that some evidence that might not be admissible in some court proceedings may be admissible in an immigration hearing. Your attorney will present evidence on your behalf about the type of relief from removal that you are seeking. There also can be other witnesses to corroborate the evidence, including professional witnesses to talk about the conditions in your native country. Landerholm Immigration, A.P.C. is composed of skilled California immigration attorneys who focus exclusively on defending individuals in deportation cases. We realize just how stressful and emotional deportation proceedings can be for you and your entire family. The uncertainty of a potential deportation can drag on for months and even years as you continue to build a life in America without any assurances that you will be able to stay in the country. As seasoned deportation defense lawyers, we know what it takes to successfully defend against deportation in a wide variety of situations and how to develop the best strategy in your defense case. Call us today and learn how we can advocate on your behalf and work toward avoiding deportation altogether.