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Full-Text Articles in Immigration Law
The Immigration Implications Of Presidential Pot Pardons, Jason A. Cade
The Immigration Implications Of Presidential Pot Pardons, Jason A. Cade
Scholarly Works
This Essay examines the immigration implications of President Joe Biden’s Proclamation on October 6, 2022, pardoning most federal and D.C. offenders who committed the offense of simple marijuana possession. A late twentieth century interpretive shift by the Board of Immigration Appeals holds that pardons only prevent deportation for certain criminal history categories, which do not include controlled substance offenses, and thus far lower federal courts have deferred to the agency’s approach.Nevertheless, according to the analysis I offer, President Biden’s cannabis pardons should be deemed fully effective to eliminate all immigration penalties. All of the immigrant pardon cases to reach the …
Constructing Crimmigration: Latino Subordination In A “Post-Racial” World, Yolanda Vazquez
Constructing Crimmigration: Latino Subordination In A “Post-Racial” World, Yolanda Vazquez
Faculty Articles and Other Publications
Over the last forty years, the concern over the relationship between noncitizens and criminality has reached epic proportions. Laws, policies, procedures, and rules have been developed, the immigration and criminal justice system have been employed, and billions of dollars have been spent towards detecting, detaining, prosecuting, and removing those who are targeted as posing “the greatest threat to the nation.” As a result, a “new” phenomenon emerged, crimmigration, that not only redesigned the criminal and immigration systems, but also brought about a cultural transformation in the United State —restructuring social categories, diminishing economic and political power, and perpetuating the marginalization …
A Meditation On Moncrieffe: On Marijuana, Misdemeanants, And Migration, Victor C. Romero
A Meditation On Moncrieffe: On Marijuana, Misdemeanants, And Migration, Victor C. Romero
Journal Articles
This essay is a brief meditation on the immigration schizophrenia in our law and legal culture through the lens of the Supreme Court’s latest statement on immigration and crime, Moncrieffe v. Holder. While hailed as a “common sense” decision, Moncrieffe is a rather narrow ruling that does little to change the law regarding aggravated felonies or the ways in which class and citizenship play into the enforcement of minor drug crimes and their deportation consequences. Despite broad agreement on the Court, the Moncrieffe opinion still leaves the discretion to deport minor state drug offenders in the hands of the federal …
The Plea Bargain Crisis For Noncitizens In Misdemeanor Court, Jason A. Cade
The Plea Bargain Crisis For Noncitizens In Misdemeanor Court, Jason A. Cade
Scholarly Works
This Article considers three factors contributing to a plea-bargain crisis for noncitizens charged with misdemeanors: 1) the expansion of deportation laws to include very minor offenses with little opportunity for discretionary relief from removal; 2) the integration of federal immigration enforcement programs with the criminal justice system; and 3) the institutional norms in non-federal lower criminal courts, where little attention is paid to evidence or individual equities and where bail and other process costs generally outweigh perceived incentives to fight charges. The Article contends that these factors increase the likelihood that a noncitizen’s low-level conviction will not reliably indicate guilt …
Constitutionalizing Immigration Law: The Vital Role Of Judicial Discretion In The Removal Of Lawful Permanent Residents, Maritza I. Reyes
Constitutionalizing Immigration Law: The Vital Role Of Judicial Discretion In The Removal Of Lawful Permanent Residents, Maritza I. Reyes
Journal Publications
For decades, scholars and advocates criticized the harsh, mandatory nature of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. They argued that federal district court judges should have discretion to authorize a punishment that fits the facts and circumstances of the crime and the defendant. Similarly, immigration scholars and advocates criticize the harsh laws that categorically remove lawful permanent residents, even after minor crimes, from the United States. In 2005, in United States v. Booker, the Supreme Court "constitutionalized" the Sentencing Guidelines by rendering them advisory, and returning judicial discretion to federal judges. This Article argues that the similar constitutional, historical, theoretical, societal, and …
Constitutionalizing Immigration Law On Its Own Path, Anne R. Traum
Constitutionalizing Immigration Law On Its Own Path, Anne R. Traum
Scholarly Works
Courts should insist on heightened procedural protections in immigration adjudication. They should do so under the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause rather than by importing Sixth Amendment protections from the criminal context. Traditional judicial oversight and the Due Process Clause provide a better basis than the Sixth Amendment to interpose heightened procedural protections in immigration proceedings, especially those involving removal for a serious criminal conviction. The Supreme Court’s immigration jurisprudence in recent years lends support for this approach. The Court has guarded the availability of judicial review of immigration decisions. It has affirmed that courts are the arbiters of constitutional …