If you are convicted of a crime, you could be deported.  The United States government is serious when it comes to excluding and deporting immigrants who have been committed and subsequently been found guilty, either through a voluntary plea or a jury trial.

You must hire a criminal defense attorney who is familiar with the immigration consequence of a guilty plea.  The criminal proceedings against an alien client subject him to immigration consequences.  Therefore, in some cases it is absolutely crucial to prevent the conviction at the criminal level.

When hiring a criminal defense attorney, hire someone who knows the immigration consequences of a criminal plea and can plea bargain with the prosecutors to eliminate the immigration consequences.  For many who were not adequately represented in the criminal level, it is too late, they have already been convicted of a crime defined as one of moral turpitude, aggravated felony or have been sentenced to more than one year in jail. Many immigration lawyers will represent themselves as being adequately familiar with the criminal law system.  

Additionally, it is crucial in the criminal level that if a client’s immigration status is greatly at risk, a jury trial may be the only solution.  A criminal conviction is always a big deal, but for many individuals, they are able to deal with the consequences of their actions and move on with their life.  For a non-U.S. citizen, it is not that simple.  Even a misdemeanor crime such as domestic violence or petty theft could lead to deportation.  If you are an immigrant, a criminal conviction makes you ineligible to immigrate to the U.S.  If you have a green card, you can lose your permanent residency and any chance for American citizenship.

A conviction on a criminal charge may start a removal action to deport you. Even if you are allowed to stay in the country, it may adversely affect your employment prospects or you may not be granted a security clearance.  If you are a legal resident who has a criminal conviction, you may not be able to travel abroad without losing your residency status.

An experienced criminal defense attorney will also advise you of how to get a conviction set aside.  Traditionally, expungements under state law could alleviate the immigration consequences of a conviction.  However, that is no longer true.  It is clear that the first step in defending deportation due to a criminal conviction is to ensure that your criminal case is handled in a manner that does not even place you at risk of deportation.