For immigrants all across the country, the possibility of deportation looms like an ominous cloud overhead. This is a worst-case scenario for many people and it can ruin lives in an instant.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to understand the ways you can defend yourself from deportation, on the chance that you end up at risk for it.
Seeking asylum and green cards
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services discusses some of the potential ways you can defend yourself from the possibility of deportation. First, you have the possibility of seeking asylum. You need to demonstrate that the persecution you suffered from or feared happened due to discrimination. The discrimination must have based itself on reasons of race, political opinion, religion, nationality or the membership of social groups.
Green card applications can also sometimes work for deportation defense. Applications for permanent residency hinge on approved visa petitions. If you have a family member with U.S. citizenship, you can change from nonimmigrant to immigrant status and get legal status from there.
I-751 petition renewal
If you filed an untimely I-751 petition, then the government’s attorney may start the removal proceedings. However, an immigration judge could step in and renew this I-751 petition, thus saving you from the possibility of deportation.
In such a situation as this, it is crucial to have legal representation that knows the ins and outs of the law and especially immigration law. They can help you navigate through the stressful situation of potential deportation, and can work with you toward avoiding that undesirable outcome together.