The Board of Immigration appeals recently issued a published decision that may answer once and for all with a resounding NO, the question: “is Battery in Florida a Crime of Violence?” That’s right, the Florida crime of Battery, Florida Statute § 784.03, which requires that someone actually and intentionally touch…
As I sit here working on my most recent crimmigration consultation case, I realize more and more the need for non-citizens to have trusted advice and immigration counsel during their criminal cases. I have mentioned on many occasions that the time to hire an immigration attorney is not after you…
The answer is clearly and unequivocally YES. Many people who are not yet citizens think that if they are arrested for a crime and the State or Government drops the charges, for any reason, they are home free and immigration officials can never use that arrest against them in the…
Last month I had the honor of speaking at the Florida Public Defender Association’s 30th Annual “Trial with Style Conference” in unfortunately rainy Fort Lauderdale. While in one of my former lives as a state prosecutor and I like to think I always tried my cases with style, during this…
Over the last few months I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic immigration attorneys across the Southeast United States on a collaborative project. Our goal was to find, review and summarize every immigration-related and useful District Court and Circuit Court Case from the Eleventh Circuit and put them…
Over the last few months I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic immigration attorneys across the Southeast United States on a collaborative project. Our goal was to find, review and summarize every immigration-related and useful District Court and Circuit Court Case from the Eleventh Circuit and put them…
There is a bill currently pending before Florida Senate that seeks to increase the maximum punishment for certain crimes committed by “illegal immigrants.” You can read the text of Senate Bill 150 here: http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2016/0150/BillText/__/HTML Thankfully, there is no companion bill in the House. At first glance, many Floridians may think,…
Finding yourself in handcuffs and under arrest is a traumatic experience for everyone. Many thoughts run through your mind, where will they take me, will I be able to get out of jail, can I afford a criminal defense attorney? One thought that should also be at the forefront for…
This Friday and Saturday, October 16th & 17th, the Central Florida Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) will host its 2015 Annual Immigration Law Conference in Orlando. This conference will feature leading immigration experts from across the United States and a sitting U.S. Congressman. The venue is the…
Over the last few months I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic immigration attorneys across the Southeast United States on a collaborative project. Our goal was to find, review and summarize every immigration-related and useful District Court and Circuit Court Case from the Eleventh Circuit and put them…