Law Commons^™

Legal representation always matters, but the need for representation intensifies when the most basic rights are at

stake. In immigration removal (deportation) cases, the federal government adjudicates whether an individual may

live and work in the United States, or whether that person must relocate to another country. Reasons for wanting

to be in the United States vary, from a desire to remain with family to a fear for one's life in a home country. In these immigration proceedings, an executive branch employee, an immigration judge, applies the Immigration and Nationality Act, a body of statutes long recognized to rival the …

At First Glance, immigration law might appear as a narrow and secluded area of the law. While practicing and

studying immigration law does require focused expertise, immigration law, in fact, has strong connections to many other areas of law, and the field itself is diverse. The number of immigration cases in the federal courts has increased greatly over the last five years.This increase has led to court reform proposals that exemplify the nexus between immigration law and other legal issues.