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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

In Defense of Immigrants: Hidden Dangers of Immigration Status and the Criminal Justice System

On April 13th, CLORE will be hosting an event about immigrant interaction with the criminal justice system. Here, you can begin the discussion, or participate if you cannot make it, so read on!

Immigrants on trial have a right to know what’s at stake; yet, too often they are left in the dark about their constitutional protections. Recently, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Padilla v. Kentucky which changed the defense attorney's duty to inform a client of the consequences of the charges against them. Panelists will discuss the key role criminal defense lawyers can play a role in safeguarding, advising and enforcing the rights of immigrants facing criminal charges.

Below, you will find a Practice Advisory by Manuel D. Vargas, Founder and Senior Counsel of the Immigrant Defense Project, who will be joining as a panelist on the 13th. This practice advisory assesses the impact of Padilla v. Kentucky. It is an excellent review of the issues raised by the decision, allowing the reader to get an overview of the case and what this new duty means to defense attorneys and their clients. Please take a moment to read it and begin the discussion before the event.


Padilla Practice Advisory

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for this very useful info, Katie.

    For non-citizen Arabs and people of Arab or Muslim heritage who find themselves under increased scrutiny and surveillance are much more likely to be caught by the wide net cast by police, federal authorities and "deputized" agents. This decision is good first step in making sure that members of our community have at least a chance of staying in country.

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