After likely years of trying to establish your immigration status in the United States, you may finally feel secure enough to start planting roots, so to speak, and officially establish your life here. But your plans for the future may come to a screeching halt, sadly, if you receive a Notice to Appear from the U.S. Immigration Court regarding your scheduled removal proceedings. If you get informed of such, please continue reading to learn why you are being summoned to removal proceedings and how an experienced removal & deportation defense lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can help you prepare for what to expect during it.
Why am I being summoned to removal proceedings?
Even after deep self-reflection, you may be unable to grasp why the United States government wants to see your removal from the country. Well, according to the U.S. immigration law, the following are legal grounds to initiate removal proceedings:
- You may have entered the U.S. without proper documentation or inspection.
- You may have chosen to stay in the U.S. even after your visa status expires.
- You may have been charged with a criminal offense during your U.S. stay.
- You may have been accused of violating a U.S. immigration law during your stay.
- You may have been suspected of being a national safety concern in the U.S.
What can I anticipate happening during a removal proceeding?
Once you receive a Notice to Appear, you must attend your scheduled initial hearing (i.e., master calendar hearing). Here, you may either admit or deny the charges placed against you. If admitting them, you may express your request for relief from removal. If denying, you may state your intent to challenge the removal.
Then, there is the merits hearing (i.e., individual calendar hearing). This is where the government may present its case for your removal, with which you may step forward to defend against it. Given this opportunity, it is best to present sufficient evidence, garner witness testimonies, and have a legal representative help your fight.
After these two hearings, the United States immigration judge may make a final ruling on the matter. If the decision does not go in your favor, you may appeal it to the Board of Immigration Appeals. Of note, the same opportunity is given to the government entity fighting against you.
Sadly, if the Board sides with the judge’s decision, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be called on to see your deportation from the country. To make the situation less emotionally distressing for yourself, you may choose to depart at your own expense and voluntarily.
You must retain legal representation before you even get close to hearing your ultimate sentence. So please, contact a skilled removal & deportation defense lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, from Sesini Law Group, S.C., today.