More In This Category
View Transcript
There are many hurdles to overcome in order to seek and win asylum in the United States especially now under the administration that we have. One of the biggest challenges is that immigration court is not actually an independent court. It’s not a part of the judicial branch. The immigration court is under the Department of Justice, it’s part of the executive branch. So the boss of the immigration judges and the appellate body, which is the Board of Immigration appeals is the attorney general who’s currently William Barr and before him was Jeff Sessions. So that is a very big challenge. So if we lose in the immigration court and we appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals and we lose at the Board of Immigration Appeals we get the automatic right to appeal to the circuit court. And where we are is the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and that’s the first time an asylum applicant will have the opportunity to present his or her case to a judge in the judicial branch.
And what makes our firm distinct from other firms is that we handle many appeals both at the Board of Immigration Appeals and the circuit courts. [Name] and I have both won cases that are published in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. So if you come to our firm, we are ready to not only litigate your case before the immigration judge and the Board of Immigration Appeals but the circuit court of appeals. Another issue is that sometimes you can challenge government action in federal district courts and [Name] and I do file cases in federal district court and that is another opportunity to get before an article three judge, a judge in the judicial branch.
Wheaton, MD immigration lawyer Tamara Jezic talks about the challenges associated with seeking asylum.