Deportation proceedings are in essence, a civil prosecution, and a frightening and intimidating experience. Because so much is at stake, we are dedicated to providing each of our clients with a skilled, informed, compassionate, and comprehensive defense. We stand beside, and guide our clients through each stage of the proceedings: from deferred inspection and detention, through bond proceedings, preliminary or master calendar appearances before the Immigration Judge, preparation and submission of applications for relief, and finally, most importantly, the trial.
Deportation is one of the most extreme, life-altering forms of punishment a person can face: it is a modern version of “banishment.” “Winning” and “Losing” are not abstractconcepts for our client’s, since “losing” often means being separated from one’s home and family, and barred from returning to the United States.
As part of our defense of every criminal-deportation case, our attorneys personally review the proceedings, including any criminal records, to determine whether a conviction records offered by the government actually establish deportability. If they do not, we will prepare a motion to terminate the proceedings. If they do, we will determine whether the client is eligible for relief from deportation, such as: cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, waiver of inadmissibility, asylum, withholding of removal, or deferral of removal under the Convention against Torture. In some cases our investigation may reveal that the client actually derived citizenship through his or her parents, and is not in fact subject to deportation. Next, working closely with the client and their family our attorneys and experienced staff, prepare comprehensive, indexed, applications for relief from deportation for consideration by the Immigration Judge. These applications are of critical importance, since they familiarize the Judge with the client, and so lay the groundwork for success at trial.
Prior to trial, Mr. Terezakis meets with each of our clients, and their witnesses. He reviews with the clients the purpose of the proceedings, what to expect and the areas their testimony will cover. On the day of trial, Mr. Terezakis appears and presents the client’s case to the Judge. In defending these difficult cases, there is no substitute for experience and passion, and Mr. Terezakis is known for both. It is his experience and commitment that enables our firm to win the close cases, the toughest cases, even the ones that other lawyers think cannot be won. While most competent lawyers can win the easiest of cases – it is our firm’s proven record of winning even the most difficult cases which causes our former clients, fellow attorneys, Judges, religious and community leaders to refer persons in need to us for assistance. Mr. Terezakis’s recognized expertise in this field has prompted Bar Associations across the United States to regularly call upon him to train other attorneys in this complex field of law at Continuing Legal Education seminars. While we have a high success rate at the trial level, we also represent clients in appeals of deportation orders before the Board of Immigration Appeals and petitions for review before the Federal and Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
While the majority of our removal defense clients come from the Long Island – New York area, out firm defends our clients throughout the United States. While the majority of the deportation-removal proceedings are conducted at the Immigration Courts at 26 Federal Plaza or at 201 Varick Street, in New York City, the government often detains and moves non-citizens out of state to Immigration Courts located in upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oakdale (Louisiana), Texas, Baltimore (Maryland), Miami (Florida), or Atlanta (Georgia). By working with his nationwide network of experienced immigration practitioners, our office has been able to successfully defend our clients even when they are moved outside of New York City. While these attorneys may assist with preliminary proceedings, Mr. Terezakis appears personally at the Court to conduct the trial which determines whether or not the person will be deported or will be permitted to remain in this country.