Criminal Defense of Immigrants

(D)  Effective Date. This deportation ground is triggered only by convictions occurring “after” September 30, 1996, the effective date of the legislation creating this ground of deportation.  See § 22.15, infra.  Therefore, a conviction of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse may not trigger removal under the domestic violence conviction ground of deportation if it occurred before the effective date.  That conviction may, however, still be considered a conviction of a crime of moral turpitude or aggravated felony, which is not subject to that effective date defense, and trigger deportation under a different ground of deportation.