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Understanding Juvenile Defender Training: Immigration Status and Consequences

This overview of the Juvenile Defender Training at Suffolk University Law School, held on May 21, 2004, focuses on critical immigration issues related to juvenile delinquency. Key topics include definitions of citizenship, various types of immigration status, the consequences of juvenile delinquency dispositions, and legal strategies to avoid negative immigration outcomes. The training emphasizes the importance of understanding the intersection between juvenile law and immigration, equipping defenders to effectively advocate for their clients.

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Understanding Juvenile Defender Training: Immigration Status and Consequences

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  1. Juvenile Defender Training Suffolk University Law School May 21, 2004

  2. Topics-1 • Background Issues • Who is a citizen? • Types of immigration status

  3. Topics-2 • Consequences of Juvenile Delinquency Dispositions • Removal • Naturalization • Noncitizens returning to U.S. • Remedies • Strategies

  4. Who is a Citizen? • Anyone born in U.S. and subject to jurisdiction of U.S. (e.g. not foreign embassy personnel). • Anyone naturalized • Certain technical statuses • parent naturalized before kid turns 18 • unknown parents found in U.S. under 5

  5. Citizen vs. noncitizen • A citizen does face immigration consequences at all • Any noncitizen can be kicked out of the country or kept out of the country if she or he violates the immigration laws.

  6. Types of Immigration Status • Lawful Permanent Resident (“green card” holder)- A person who is able to live in U.S. indefinitely unless she or he falls under a ground of deportability

  7. Types of Immigration Status • Undocumented person • could have come in with a visa or • never had a visa • Asylee- A noncitizen with a “well-founded fear of persecution” who gets status in U.S. • Refugee- A noncitizen with a well-founded fear of persecution who gets status outside of U.S. applies outside of U.S.

  8. Types of Consequences • Getting kicked out of U.S. (look to grounds of deportability (8 U.S.C. § 1227) • Being unable to return to U.S. (look to grounds of inadmissibility (8 U.S.C. § 1182) • Making it more difficult to naturalize

  9. Excludability vs. Deportability • The grounds of deportability include convictions for: • controlled substances • firearms • crimes of moral turpitude • aggravated felonies

  10. Excludability vs. Deportability • The grounds of inadmissibility include convictions for: • controlled substances • crimes of moral turpitude

  11. Excludability vs. Deportability • Even without a conviction a noncitizen may come under the grounds of inadmissibility

  12. Excludability vs. Deportability • The grounds of inadmissibility apply if • a noncitizen admits committing a drug crime or a crime involving moral turpitude • there is a “reason to believe” that a noncitizen is a drug trafficker

  13. Juvenile Delinquency Disposition • There is a federal definition of conviction for immigration purposes (8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(48) • An adjudication of delinquency is not a conviction for immigration purposes Matter of Devison, 22 I&N Dec 1362 (BIA 2000)

  14. Consequences of Delinquency Adjudication • A noncitizen adjudicated delinquent does not come under the grounds of deportability for drugs, moral turpitude, aggravated felonies or firearms because she or he does not have a conviction

  15. Consequences of Delinquency Adjudication • A noncitizen cannot be inadmissible for admitting to a crime for which she or he would face mandatory juvenile treatment under federal law. Matter of M-U-, 2 I. & N. Dec. 92 (BIA 1944) • Even an adult cannot admit essential elements of controlled substance or moral turpitude offense if the conduct required mandatory delinquency treatment

  16. Consequences of Delinquency Adjudication • The government can use the reason to believe ground of inadmissibility to keep out a noncitizen who has a delinquency adjudication for drug distribution

  17. Consequences of Delinquency Adjudication • In the naturalization context, an examiner can consider the conduct that lead to a juvenile delinquency adjudication to determine whether applicant is a person of good moral character.

  18. Legal Strategies • Avoid transfer to adult court because a disposition in adult court is a conviction • Avoid a delinquency adjudication where underlying conduct involves controlled substances because it could result in “reason to believe” inadmissibility

  19. Legal Strategies • Check Federal Juvenile Delinquency Act (18 USC § 5032) for offenses that require mandatory juvenile treatment to avoid controlled substance or or moral turpitude inadmissibility • Plead to adjudications of delinquency for crimes that require mandatory juvenile treatment under federal law to avoid possible future inadmissibility for admitting a crime

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