Practice Advisory: Representing Immigrant Clients Affected by the Racial Bias of the Criminal Legal System: Mitigating the Effect of Past Racial Bias When Seeking Discretionary Relief and Bond

This practice advisory, along with the accompanying report, Bias in the Criminal Legal System: A Report Aggregating Social Science Research and Reporting on Racial Bias in the Criminal Legal System, and template brief, provides a framework for you to make legal arguments and introduce evidence during your client’s immigration court proceedings if they are seeking discretionary relief or requesting bond. You can use this advisory and the accompanying report to argue that the immigration judge should take into account the systemic racial bias of the criminal legal system when considering your client’s criminal history.