Chicago Expedited Removal Lawyers

Many people are entitled to removal proceedings before an Immigration Court.  However, there are also situations where a person may not be entitled to such proceedings and can be removed administratively by the Department of Homeland Security. A person who is placed in these proceedings cannot apply for many types of relief that are available in regular removal proceedings; he or she is also ordinarily barred from returning to the United States for a certain period of time. However, there are opportunities to fight these types of removal.

If a person is not a lawful permanent resident and commits a crime that is deemed to be an Aggravated Felony, that person may be subject to an administrative removal order. The Department of Homeland Security is required to provide the person notice that they intend to issue such an order. The person then has just a short number of days to contest the Department’s findings. Then, there is a limited time that the person can ask for review before the Court of Appeals. Removal under such an order is very serious and can result in a 20-year ban from the United States.

In addition, if someone is attempting to enter the United States but an immigration officer determines that the person does not have the appropriate entry document or has committed fraud or a misrepresentation upon entry, that person may be subject to expedited removal. There are only very limited opportunities to contest this order. Such a removal results in a five-year ban from the United States.

Further, a person who originally entered the United States on the visa waiver program can also be issued an administrative removal order if they overstay their admission date.

Finally, if a person has already been removed from the United States but re-enters the United States by crossing a border without inspection, that person may be subject to reinstatement of the old removal order without an additional hearing. Again, the Department of Homeland Security is required to provide notice to the person of the impending reinstatement. A person who re-enters or attempts to re-enter without inspection after removal from the United States may also be subject to criminal penalties. This person also faces a 20-year ban from the United States.

There may be additional relief for a person in any of these situations if he or she fears returning to his or her home country due to past or possible future persecution or torture.

Our offices are experienced in all types of expedited and administrative removal orders. We are also sometimes able to have someone placed in regular removal proceedings to avoid the hardship attached to an expedited or administrative removal order.  We are experienced in assisting with the credible fear determination and reasonable fear determination processes when the person’s fears return, and in seeing cases through to their successful completion. We can also assist with bringing someone back into the United States after they have been issued an administrative or expedited removal order.