Immigrants Rights Clinic | Stanford Law School

Cases

Immigrant Survivors of Crime

Matter of W

The clinic assisted W with obtaining legal status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). A VAWA petition is a form of immigration relief that allows noncitizens married to abusive United States Citizens to leave their abusers and still maintain legal status. A male victim of spousal abuse, W was in danger of being deported to Afghanistan because his abusive wife withdrew his green card application and he was charged with being in the U.S. unlawfully.
Matter of Y

The clinic assisted Y with obtaining a U Visa, a form of legal relief for non-citizens who have been the victim of a serious crime and have cooperated with law enforcement. Y was the victim of severe domestic violence and was in danger of being deported back to Mexico, away from her three United States Citizen children and the community she has lived in for fifteen years.
Matter of O

The clinic assisted O with obtaining a U Visa as the victim of severe crime in the United States. O, a man from Central America who was living in the United States unlawfully, was kidnapped, assaulted, tortured and held hostage by a criminal gang for several days on the U.S.-Mexico border. With his U Visa, he can remain in the United States with his family and eventually apply to become a U.S. permanent resident.
Matter of L

The clinic assisted L with submitting a U Visa, a form of legal relief for non-citizens who have been the victim of a serious crime and have cooperated with law enforcement. L is a lawful permanent resident and suffered severe domestic violence at the hands of her husband for over a decade. The U Visa is an effort to prevent L from being deported back to Mexico, away from her six United States Citizen children, ten United States Citizen grandchildren, and the community she has lived in for over forty years.

Immigrants with Criminal Convictions

Matter of T

The clinic assisted T, a longtime lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) of the United States, originally from Taiwan, avoid deportation due to minor petty theft convictions. T has lived in the United States for nearly three decades and has raised two U.S. citizen children here. She is also a leader in her community having received numerous awards and other accolades for her work with children. After a lengthy trial before the San Francisco Immigration Court, the judge granted T’s request to allow her to keep her green card and remain in the United States indefinitely.
Matter of J

The clinic assisted J, a longtime lawful permanent resident (“green card” holder) of the United States with citizenship in Jordan, in being granted his request to keep his green card and remain in the United States with his family. J faced removal for two minor criminal convictions, one of which took place over two decades ago and the other nearly ten years ago. As a Palestinian refugee, J has made the U.S. his home and works tirelessly to provide for his wife and their U.S. citizen children.
Matter of K

The clinic assisted K, a legal permanent resident of the United States, in being granted a Motion to Terminate his removal proceedings, which allows him to stay in the United States with his family. K faced deportation to Mexico due to two misdemeanor convictions for possession of controlled substances, both of which have been expunged by California state courts.
Matter of M

The clinic assisted M, a lawful permanent resident ("green card" holder) from Fiji who has lived in the United States with his family for the past 21 years. M had some minor brushes with the criminal justice system as a young adult, and DHS alleged that the government could deport M based on a 1999 conviction. M’s removal case was dismissed after the clinic submitted a brief on his behalf to immigration court arguing that M’s 1999 conviction could not lead to his deportation under Ninth Circuit case law.
Matter of Z

The clinic represents Z in his removal defense, which he faces due to past drug convictions, despite being a longtime lawful permanent resident. Z suffered from drug addiction for a period of time, but has since rehabilitated himself. He has been sober for years and currently lives with his four young United States Citizen children and a United States Citizen spouse.