Deportation

By Attorney Gerald Gornik

Deportation is one of the harshest things that can happen to a person in the American Legal system. A person that has built a life in the United States can be faced with the possibility of being thrown out of the country with little chance of returning legally. At Vista Legal Services, we pride ourselves on the excellent work we do for the deportation cases we handle.

Most people who end up in deportation proceedings are from one of these two categories: people who are here in the U.S. illegally, or non–citizens who are here legally but have committed certain crimes or other acts, for example sale of drugs, or domestic violence. Because of the complexity surrounding deportation and what acts make a person deportable, it would be extremely unwise to trust a non–lawyer’s analysis of one’s rights and options.

Deportation cases start with a Notice to Appear—a document served by the government upon the non-citizen alleging that he or she is deportable for some reason. Once the non-citizen is in court, a deportation case usually has two parts. The first part is a determination by the judge as to whether the person is deportable as stated in the Notice. If a case can be won, it is usually in the second part of the case—the application for relief. Relief is the legal mechanism the non-citizen can use to stop the deportation process and obtain legal status. There are different types of relief possible based on the circumstances of the person applying.

It is our opinion at Vista Legal Services that it is always unwise for people to represent themselves in immigration court. And unlike criminal court, an Immigration Judge will generally not assign a free lawyer to assist the client. That means that if the client wants competent representation he has to find his own professional. When choosing a lawyer for deportation proceedings, an important quality to look for is proven experience.

Building a strong deportation defense involves hours of strategizing, detailed preparation and legal research. We work closely with the client every step of the way in preparing the very best defense to deportation possible.