Criminal Defense of Immigrants



 
 

§ 7.25 (E)

 
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(E)  Foreign Convictions Must Be Final to Trigger Immigration Consequences.  Foreign convictions fall under the normal rules requiring that the conviction be final, i.e., direct appeal must have been exhausted or waived before the conviction will trigger immigration consequences.[122]  See § 7.37, infra.


[122] Marino v. INS, 537 F.2d 686 (2d Cir. 1976); Matter of D, 8 I. & N. Dec. 199 (BIA 1958) (conviction in Canada has attained “finality” for purposes of the immigration laws when the offender has been placed on probation or on suspended sentence pursuant to section 1081 of the Canadian Criminal Code).  See D. Kesselbrenner & L. Rosenberg, Immigration Law and Crimes § § 2:17-2.19 (2007).

Updates

 

FOREIGN CONVICTIONS - SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Burgess v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, ___,(Apr. 16, 2008) ("Notably, [21 U.S.C.] 802(44) includes foreign offenses punishable by more than one year, while 802(13) includes only federal and state offenses. Incorporation of 802(13) into 841(b)(1)(A) would exclude enhancement based on a foreign offense, notwithstanding the express inclusion of foreign offenses in 802(44)'s definition of "felony drug offense." Furthermore, some States and many foreign jurisdictions do not label offenses as felonies or misdemeanors.").
FOREIGN CONVICTIONS - SPECIFICALLY LISTED IN FEDERAL LEGISLATION
Burgess v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, ___,(Apr. 16, 2008) ("Notably, [21 U.S.C.] 802(44) includes foreign offenses punishable by more than one year, while 802(13) includes only federal and state offenses. Incorporation of 802(13) into 841(b)(1)(A) would exclude enhancement based on a foreign offense, notwithstanding the express inclusion of foreign offenses in 802(44)'s definition of "felony drug offense." Furthermore, some States and many foreign jurisdictions do not label offenses as felonies or misdemeanors.").

Other

SAFE HAVEN - STATE REHABILITATIVE RELIEF - PRIOR FOREIGN CONVICTION DOES NOT DISQUALIFY DEFENDANT FROM FFOA TREATMENT
The Federal First Offender Act, 18 U.S.C. 3607(a)(1), does not permit an expungement if the defendant has prior to the commission of the current offense suffered a conviction under "Federal or State" law. This provision does not include foreign convictions as a disqualification for this relief.

 

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