With millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, immigration courts have a significant backlog of cases. Because of this, and in an effort to ensure that immigration officials are properly addressing issues that may affect the safety of people in the U.S., the administration of President Joe Biden has taken action to allow for an increased use of prosecutorial discretion in deportation cases. 

What Is Prosecutorial Discretion?

Immigration officials may evaluate a case to determine whether to enforce immigration laws, and in some cases, they may choose to dismiss a case, pursue an administrative closure, or agree to stipulations such as releasing a person on an immigration bond or continuing a case until a later date. During removal proceedings, a person may request prosecutorial discretion and ask for a case to be dismissed or for other forms of relief.

How Have Policies Related to Prosecutorial Discretion Changed?

In September of 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas issued a memo detailing how immigration enforcement actions will be prioritized. On April 3, 2022, Kerry Doyle, the principal legal advisor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), issued a memo providing guidance on how prosecutorial discretion may be used in immigration cases. The Doyle memorandum detailed three priorities for immigration enforcement:

There are many situations where immigrants living in the United States may run into trouble with immigration officials. In these cases, the threat of deportation can be very worrisome, especially if it could result in a person being uprooted from their home and community, taken away from their loved ones, and forced to resettle in another country. While there are a number of potential defenses that may be available, once a deportation order is issued, a person may worry that they will have no way to avoid removal from the United States. However, it may be possible to pursue an appeal of a deportation order, and a person may be able to receive a stay that will temporarily prevent their removal.

BIA Emergency Stay Requests

When an order is issued that prevents government officials or other parties from taking certain actions, this is known as a “stay.” After a deportation order is issued by an immigration court judge, the immigrant subject to this order may request an emergency stay while they are pursuing an appeal. A person must file a written request for an emergency stay with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and their request may be considered if all of the following are true:

• The person has been detained by the Department of Homeland Security.

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Immigrants often enter the United States seeking a better life and hoping to take advantage of opportunities that will allow them to live in safety and financially support themselves and their families. Unfortunately, there are many situations where immigrants may be subject to deportation. In some cases, immigration officials may use “expedited removal” proceedings to ensure that a person will be required to leave the country without the opportunity to have their case heard by an immigration judge. In these situations, it is important to understand exactly what expedited removal is and the potential defenses that may be used.

When Is Expedited Removal Used?

Generally, expedited removal applies to immigrants who attempt to enter the United States without documents that authorize them to do so. In 2017, President Donald Trump issued an executive order expanding the use of expedited removal and allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use this process for all undocumented immigrants who had been physically present in the U.S. for under two years and who entered the country illegally. However, the administration of President Joe Biden has rescinded this expanded use of expedited removal, and as of March 2022, the process is once again limited to cases where immigrants are apprehended near the border. In most cases, expedited removal will apply to those who first arrive in the United States or were apprehended within 100 miles of the border within 14 days after their entry. It may also be used if a person arrived in the U.S. by sea and was apprehended within two years after their date of entry.

What Is the Expedited Removal Process?

If DHS officials determine that a person qualifies for expedited removal, they may order the person to be immediately removed from the United States and returned to their country of origin. Immigrants in these cases will usually deal directly with a DHS officer, without the chance to have their case heard by an immigration judge. After being removed, a person will typically be barred from re-entering the U.S. for five years.

Immigrants come to the United States for many reasons, and in some cases, a person or family may flee from a country where their safety has been put at risk. These immigrants may seek humanitarian relief and ask to be granted permission to remain in the United States rather than being returned to a country where they are likely to suffer harm or be killed. Asylum is one of the most effective forms of humanitarian relief, and it may apply to a person who has entered the U.S. and has a credible fear that they will suffer persecution or other forms of harm if they were returned to their country of origin. 

Title 42 and Asylum Cases

Unfortunately, the ability of many immigrants to claim asylum protections has been limited in recent years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration of President Donald Trump implemented a policy known as Title 42. This rule was intended to prevent Covid infections from being spread by immigrants entering the United States, and it allowed immigration officials to expedite the removal of people who did not have the proper documentation. Since it was implemented in March 2020, Title 42 has been used to expel around 1.7 million people from the U.S.

While Title 42 has continued to be used since President Joe Biden took office, his administration recently announced that it plans to lift this rule in the near future. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has stated that as the pandemic has receded, the potential threat of infections being spread by undocumented immigrants is less of a concern, and the protections that Title 42 was intended to provide are no longer necessary. The time frame and procedures that will be followed when the rule is lifted have not yet been announced, although the changes are expected to be implemented by late May of 2022. Following the change, immigration officials expect that the number of migrants who enter the United States will increase.

Imigrants will often establish lives in the United States alongside their family members, and they may maintain steady employment, pay taxes, and build ties to their communities. After living in the U.S. for multiple years, potential deportation may completely upend a person’s life and cause a great deal of difficulty for them and their families. Fortunately, immigrants may have multiple options in these situations, and in some cases, a person may qualify for cancellation of removal, which will allow them to receive an adjustment of status and become lawful permanent residents.

Eligibility for Cancellation of Removal

Deportation is also known as removal. Those who qualify for cancellation of removal will be able to avoid being deported, and their legal status may be adjusted to lawful permanent resident, allowing them to receive a Green Card. Those who currently have a valid green card but are involved in deportation proceedings due to deportability or inadmissibility may receive a cancellation of removal if they have been a lawful permanent resident for at least five years, have lived in the United States for at least seven years, and have not been convicted of an aggravated felony.

Immigrants who are facing deportation and who do not have a Green Card may also be able to qualify for cancellation of removal, although they may need to meet additional requirements. They must have been living in the United States for at least 10 years, and they must have good moral character. They will also need to show that their deportation would cause unusual and exceptional hardship for one or more immediate family members (including their spouse, children, or parents) who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.