1LAW has recently represented several immigrants who legally came to the United States and applied for citizenship through the requisite avenues only to be egregiously ordered deported by the immigration court.
One client in particular came to the United States with a visa and under the protection of her legal guardian who married a U.S. Citizen. Because the client’s legal guardian was not her biological mother, the Immigration Service (“USCIS”) ruled that she did not qualify for the right to apply for residency or citizenship, even though her legal guardian had raised her from birth and she was now 22 years old.
1LAW appealed the service’s decision in the Federal District Court of Utah, however USCIS initiated a separate removal “deportation” proceeding. While the 1LAW client prevailed before the Federal Court, which held that the original application to USCIS should have been adjudicated favorably and not denied, the Immigration Court did not grant the client a continuance to await the federal court decision and ordered the client removed and “deported.” Notwithstanding the Federal Court’s decision, the Immigration Court has refused to correct the client’s active deportation order. When asked how she was doing, the client responded “My case is a great example of how broken the immigration system is.”
Authored by Jason Velez, Esq., CEO and Founder of 1LAW.
