Crimmigration

         Crimmigration is a made up word: there is no one definition. The field of crimmigration relates to attorneys dealing with clients who have, or had, a criminal record (or pending charges), and how it affects the client’s immigration status. Most of the time, it involves attorneys negotiating plea deals so that a defendant’s immigration status is not affected. This includes re-opening criminal cases based on bad immigration advice. Crimmigration also refers to the federal criminalized immigration laws. Common immigration-related crimes include passport fraud, trafficking (humans and drugs), Illegal Re-entry, marriage fraud and document fraud.

     Any person in the United States who is not a citizen and who has been arrested and/or convicted risks the possibility of being removed from the United States. A criminal arrest alone may make an undocumented person ineligible for a visa or green card. A criminal conviction may make  visa or green card holder removable (also called deportable). Since 2010, all criminal defense attorneys must advise defendants of possible immigration consequences of guilty pleas. Not all crimes are excused or waivable: some criminal convictions will render a person permanently ineligible for status and permanently removable from the United States. 

     Crimmigration is a form of legal art: the more serious the situation, the more valuable the advice. If you are not a U.S. citizen and have been arrested or charged with a crime, you want the advice of an attorney who understands the serious immigration consequences that come from the criminal justice system.