Practice Advisory
Audience
Attorney
Published:
Dec. 2, 2025
Motions to reopen are extremely important for people with final removal orders. Final orders of removal render people vulnerable to detention and immediate removal from the United States. However, a successful motion to reopen places the person back in active removal proceedings before an immigration judge where they can pursue immigration relief, provides additional arguments for release from detention, and prevents their immediate removal. This practical resource provides fifteen concrete steps for legal representatives who have clients with removal orders issued by immigration judges and wish to pursue a motion to reopen.