U.S. immigration law states that non-U.S. citizens who are convicted of a crime may be considered inadmissible or deportable. Any person who is a legal resident of the United States and has had a criminal conviction should seek the advice of an immigration attorney before leaving the country, as such a conviction may render him or her inadmissible when trying to re-enter the United States and he or she may be placed in a detention center while his or her case is being resolved.

The following crimes are what commonly make a person inadmissible or deportable:

Grounds for Inadmissibility

• Moral turpitude
• Drug offenses
• Multiple Convictions
• Drug Trafficking
• Prostitution or commercialization of prostitution
• Severe Criminal Activity
• White Slave Trafficking (human trafficking)
• Money Laundering

Deportation Grounds

• Moral Turpitude
• Multiple criminal convictions
• Aggravated felonies: murder, rape or sexual abuse of a minor including child pornography
• Absconding
• Failure to register as a sex offender
• Narcotics offenses
• Crimes involving certain firearms
• Miscellaneous crimes: Espionage, sabotage, treason
• Domestic Abuse
• White Slave Trafficking (human trafficking)

Even if a person is inadmissible or deportable, they may qualify for a waiver if they have immediate family members who would experience extreme hardship if a waiver is not granted, or if the criminal conviction occurred more than 15 years ago and it can be shown that the person has been rehabilitated. To learn more about whether a waiver is available to you, you may call attorney Carlos Sandoval at 954-306-6921 to schedule a consultation.