An "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal" or "ACD"  is an immigration neutral disposition in that it is a pre-plea disposition in which the prosecution eventually dismisses the case after a specified period of time (usually 6 months or a year) without ever taking any plea on the issue of guilt or making any determination.  During the ACD period, the criminal case is open. Since foreign nationals who fail to comply with ACD face criminal consequences, the Service is likely to treat applicants on ACD as potentially subject to immigration consequences and deny applications on the basis that there is no certainty that they will satisfactorily comply with the program. The means of contesting this characterization may be proof that failure to comply with ACD will only result in an immigration-neutral result. Do individuals who fail to comply end up with a new arraignment at which to fight their original charge, or does it result in a slow plea in which the judge decides guilt or innocence on the basis of the police reports alone? ACDs almost always result in dismissals.  The worst thing that can happen is that the case is back on the calendar and is tried.