Immigration Court / Board of Immigration Appeals / Federal Courts
Removal (formerly known as ‘deportation’) is the process by which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attempts to remove non-citizens from the United States due to various issues including overstaying an approved visa, violations, denial of immigrant petitions, criminal convictions, and other problems.
USCIS initiates removal proceedings against many types of non-citizens, including:
- Aliens who entered the U.S. without going through Immigration inspection at the border, whether by crossing the U.S. border illegally from Canada or Mexico or by use of fraudulent documents;
- Aliens attempting to enter the U.S. and who USCIS believes should not be entitled to enter (because they do not have a visa, they have fraudulent travel documents, or other reasons);
- Temporary visa holders who entered the US legally and stay in US after their visa expires;
- Applicants who apply for immigration benefits such as permanent residency or political asylum, or Naturalization (to become a US citizen) and are denied by Immigration;
- Green Card holders who violated immigration laws, such as committing crimes in the US.
- Green Card holders who remained outside of the US for extended periods of time and re-entered into U.S.
Removal Proceedings are highly complicated legal matters, and all respondents are strongly urged to seek legal advice before appearing in Immigration Court.
