Revisiting Guilty Pleas And Convictions To Avoid Deportation

Many immigrants find out too late that it was a mistake to enter a guilty plea to criminal charges. The conviction turns out to be a deportable offense, resulting in a removal hearing and saying goodbye to the United States.

The Law Offices Of David M. Paz Soldan in Los Angeles provides post-conviction relief in California courts to “go back in time” to address the immigration impact of convictions, pleas and sentences. Our firm has helped many clients in Southern California avoid deportation by reopening old criminal cases to get a different outcome.

Call us at 888-775-8575 for a FREE consultation with U.S. immigration lawyer David Paz Soldan. We offer comprehensive immigration law services in fluent English or Spanish.

Helping You Remain In The United States

When you are charged with a crime as a non-U.S. citizen, the court is required to advise you of the immigration consequences of a guilty plea and a conviction. Your criminal defense attorney is also required to explain the collateral consequences of any plea you enter.

Unfortunately, judges and lawyers sometimes fail to give this advice or give incorrect advice because they don’t understand the impact on immigration status:

• Serious felony crimes such as robbery, rape or drug trafficking automatically lead to deportation. Sometimes a plea to a lesser offense still results in deportation.
• Certain crimes of moral turpitude are deportable offenses. If you pleaded guilty to theft, fraud, drug possession, assault or domestic violence within five years of entering the U.S. (or were convicted twice of these crimes after five years), you could be sent back to your home country.

We Can Challenge Your Criminal Conviction

Experienced immigration lawyer David M. Paz Soldan can reopen an old case to try to avoid deportation or removal. We will identify any deficiencies in the judicial process at the time of the plea or conviction: no translation services, mental incompetence of the accused or failure to tell the person that he or she could be deported by pleading guilty. Mr. Paz Soldan will then move to:

• Vacate the conviction completely
• Vacate the conviction and enter a plea to another offense that does not affect immigration status
• Modify the plea to an offense for which we can then obtain an immigration waiver
• Modify a sentence

We can then work with U.S. immigration officials to drop removal proceedings.

Learn More About Your Options

Call 888-775-8575 for a FREE consultation or contact us online. You can reach us 24/7, and we return phone messages and emails as promptly as possible.