Immigration Clinic Students Win Cancellation of Removal for Client
Kyle Morishita '11, Quin Hodges '11, and Arnulfo Medina '12, working under the direction of UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic Supervising Attorney Amagda Pérez, successfully represented an Immigration Clinic client in his cancellation of removal hearing, winning a favorable grant of discretion from the Immigration Judge.
The client has been a lawful permanent resident for 15 years and is married to a lawful permanent resident with two children who are U.S. citizens. After returning to the United States from his mother's funeral in Mexico, he was found to be inadmissible as a result of a 2004 assault conviction. The students succeeded in convincing the immigration judge to reinstate his lawful permanent resident status.
The students did an exemplary job with their pre-hearing brief, direct examination of their client, and their oral arguments in court on October 7, said Professor Pérez.
"Though this case had its challenges, Kyle, Quin, and Arnulfo put in the necessary time to get their client and witnesses ready, and their hard work paid off. The case was presented in a very compelling and effective way," said Professor Pérez. "The family is extremely grateful for the legal representation they received. It was a very happy day for all of us."
Professor Pérez said that special thanks were due to Immigration Clinic alumna Marien Sorensen '97, who served as the mock hearing judge for their case, to Immigration Clinic students Anel Carrasco '11 and Elisa Cozad '11who played the role of District Counsel, and to recent alums Carlos Gallardo ‘10 and Erik Gutierrez ‘10, who were the initial law students on this case and did an exemplary job challenging the removability of their clients and presenting novel arguments as to why the assault charge should not be considered a crime involving moral turpitude. Gutierrez also represented his client at the master calendar hearing and ensured his client was processed properly for the ISAP program.
Professor Pérez congratulated current and former students for their critical role in securing their client's cancellation of removal.
