Immigration Clinic Student Attorney Overturns 14-Year-Old Deportation Order

Immigration Clinic student attorney Jose Martin persuaded the Board of Immigration Appeals to reopen a 14-year-old deportation order against a father of three. The client had been ordered deported because of a 15-year-old criminal conviction that the immigration judge incorrectly believed to be an aggravated felony. More recent decisions have made clear that it is not. Reopening old deportation orders is not a right, and thus presented a difficult advocacy problem, especially without the support of the Department of Homeland Security. Though the client faces an uphill battle, Jose’s work may keep a family together by lifting the immediate threat of deportation.