Aggravated Felonies

An aggravated felony can cause a lawful permanent resident of the United States to face removal proceedings in an immigration court and risk deportation. An aggravated felony can as well cause other immigration beneficiaries to be be places in immigration proceedings where they risk as well losing their benefits and face deportation.

Aggravated Felonies consist of the following crimes:

• a crime of violence for which the term of imprisonment is at least 1 year;
• a theft offense (including receipt of stolen property) or burglary offense for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year;
• illicit trafficking in drugs, firearms, destructive devices, or explosive materials;
• an offense that involves fraud or deceit in which the loss to the victim or victims exceeds $10,000;
• offenses related to alien smuggling (though some exceptions apply); and
• murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor.

In the case of a conviction of an aggravated felony and you are not a U.S. citizen, it is recommended that you speak with an immigration attorney immediately to see what you can do to preserve your immigration status.

There are several things that can be done to preserve your immigration status. One is to see if there are any waivers available or exceptions in the immigration court. Another option is to seek post conviction relief in the criminal court where the conviction is from. There are several forms of post conviction relief that will change the final outcome of the charge and potentially eliminate the conviction of an aggravated felony.

For more information, please talk to an immigration attorney or a criminal attorney. For California Criminal Lawyers or Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorneys, contact the Law Offices of Ramiro J. Lluis.