My Blog — Page 15

I Have Relocated My Office

March 4, 2013 by Matthew

My old office building is being converted to condominiums, so I have relocated my office. My new address is: 265 Canal Street, Suite 506, New York, NY 10013. My phone number, fax number and e-mail address remain the same. My new office is a few blocks from my old address. I’m still within walking distance of 26 Federal Plaza. The new office is closer to the Canal Street train stations for the N/Q/R/6 and A/C/E lines than my old office.

I like my new office. It is a lot bigger than my old office. Apparently, this building was either a warehouse or factory that was converted to an office building. It has old wood floors and high ceilings, which give the building character.

As an immigration lawyer, being on Canal Street has historical significance. Canal Street was part of the Five Points of Downtown Manhattan. The term the “melting pot” was created to describe this area at the turn of the 20th Century because so many immigrants came to live in the Five Points.

I hope to have my contact information on the website updated shortly.

Sequestration Shows That ICE Does Not Have to Detain Immigrants

February 26, 2013 by Matthew

Yesterday, it was in the news that because of the pending federal budget sequestration the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was releasing detainees. What ICE is doing is utilizing alternatives to detention such as supervised release and ankle bracelets. Today, ICE provided the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) with the following statement about the releases:

As fiscal uncertainty remains over the continuing resolution and possible sequestration, ICE has reviewed its detained population to ensure detention levels stay within ICE’s current budget. Over the last week, ICE has reviewed several hundred cases and placed these individuals on methods of supervision less costly than detention. All of these individuals remain in removal proceedings. Priority for detention remains on serious criminal offenders and other individuals who pose a significant threat to public safety.

Ultimately, the question to be asked is why were these people placed on these methods of supervision that are less costly than detention in the first place? Obviously, since ICE is doing this, it believes that it has the legal authority to do so. Thus, why detain non-dangerous people at tax payer expense when they can be subjected to less costly methods of supervision. Hopefully, someone at ICE will realize that placing non-dangerous immigrants facing deportation on supervised release, instead of detention, is something that should happen all the time and not just when there are budget problems.

Detained Client Granted Cancellation of Removal

February 25, 2013 by Matthew

I won a case in immigration court today. My client had two misdemeanor convictions for criminal possession of a controlled substance. After two hours of testimony, she was granted cancellation of removal by an immigration judge. Cancellation of removal is a form of relief from deportation for lawful permanent residents with criminal history. Because of her convictions, my client had been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for four months because her convictions subjected her to mandatory detention. Today, she is home with her family where she belongs.