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Boynton Beach · Lake Worth · Atlanta
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Schedule a consultation →DEPORTATION & REMOVAL DEFENSE
When the stakes are your family staying in the same country.
If you or someone you love is facing removal from the United States, you are probably reading this on one of the worst days of your life. Take a breath. Deportation is a legal process, not a foregone conclusion, and there are more defenses to it than most people realize. As a deportation defense attorney near me for families across Palm Beach County and Metro Atlanta, our job is to stand between you and that process: at the bond hearing, at the master calendar and individual hearings, and, when a judge gets it wrong, on appeal. We do this work in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, from our offices in Boynton Beach, Lake Worth, and Atlanta.
Is a family member detained right now? Time matters. Call +1 (888) 353-8307 and tell us where they are being held.
THE BASICS
"Deportation" and "removal" are the same thing: removal is the term the law uses today. It is the formal process by which the government tries to make a non-citizen leave the United States, and it plays out in immigration court in front of an immigration judge, not a criminal court.
Most removal cases begin with a document called a Notice to Appear, or NTA. The NTA is the charging paper: it states why the government believes you are removable and tells you to appear before an immigration judge. Getting an NTA is frightening, but it is also the beginning of your chance to fight back. From that moment you have the right to be represented by an attorney, at your own expense, which is exactly why calling counsel early changes outcomes. The earlier we see the NTA and the underlying facts, the more defenses are still on the table.
HOW IT HAPPENS
For many families, the first sign of trouble is not a letter in the mail. It is a phone call. Immigration enforcement can begin in ordinary places: a traffic stop that turns into a status check, an enforcement action at a workplace, or agents arriving at a home early in the morning. One moment a person is driving to work or getting the kids ready, and the next their family is trying to find out where they have been taken.
If that has just happened to your family, the most useful things you can do are simple: find out which detention facility your loved one is being held in, avoid signing anything you do not understand, and get counsel involved quickly. A person who is detained can be moved between facilities, sometimes across state lines, and decisions about bond and about voluntary departure can happen fast. As an ICE detention lawyer, our first job is often just to locate the person, establish contact, and make sure no one signs away rights they did not know they had.
IF SOMEONE IS DETAINED
When someone is detained, families are usually desperate for one thing first: to know they are safe and to reach them. The detention system is not built for easy contact. Facilities generally do not accept incoming calls to detainees, communication often runs through a messaging or scheduled-call system, and the person may be held at a facility an hour or more from home. Knowing how the system works saves precious time.
Detainees in the custody of immigration enforcement can often be found through the government's online detainee locator using their name and country of birth, or their A-number if you have it.
Most detention centers do not allow incoming phone calls to detainees. Contact usually happens through the facility's own messaging system, scheduled calls, or in-person visitation, each with its own hours and rules.
A detained person may be asked to agree to voluntary departure or to sign documents. These decisions can be very hard to undo. Get counsel involved before anything is signed.
Once we know which facility holds your family member, we can establish contact, assess bond eligibility, and start building the defense.
For clients whose family members are held at a South Florida facility, we can help you navigate that facility's specific contact and visitation process. Call us and we will walk you through it.
WHO IS AT RISK
One of the most common and most dangerous misconceptions in immigration is the belief that a green card, or years of living here, or a US citizen spouse, makes a person untouchable. It does not. Removal reaches far more broadly than people expect, and understanding whether you are exposed is the first step to protecting yourself.
Undocumented immigrants
People present without lawful status, or who entered without inspection.
Visa holders
People who overstayed, violated the terms of a visa, or fell out of status.
Lawful permanent residents
Yes, green card holders can be placed in removal proceedings, most often after certain criminal convictions or findings of fraud in how the status was obtained.
Refugees and asylees
Protected status can be challenged or terminated in certain circumstances.
TPS holders and others with temporary protection
When a program ends or a person becomes ineligible, exposure can follow.
People with prior removal orders
Including those who returned to the US after a previous deportation, which carries especially serious consequences.
A SPECIAL WARNING
Returning to the United States after a prior deportation is one of the most serious situations in all of immigration law, and it is one people often do not appreciate until it is too late. A prior removal order does not simply expire when someone crosses back. It can bar a person from lawfully returning for years, or permanently, and re-entering after removal can carry criminal as well as immigration consequences.
That does not mean nothing can be done. Depending on the facts, there may be a path to lawful re-admission, but it runs through specific waivers and permissions, not through hoping the old order was forgotten. If this is your situation, the single most important thing is to talk to an attorney before you take any step that assumes the prior order no longer matters.
FIGHTING BACK
Being in removal proceedings is not the end of the story. It is the start of a case that can be fought and, often, won. A removal case moves through predictable stages, and each stage is an opportunity. Here is the shape of the fight, and where we do our work.
If a person is detained, we can request a bond hearing before an immigration judge to argue for release during the proceedings. As a bond hearing advocate, we present evidence that the person is not a danger and not a flight risk (family ties, work history, community roots) so they can fight the case from home rather than from a cell.
The master calendar hearing is the procedural opening of an immigration court case: the judge confirms the charges, and we plead, identify the relief you are seeking, and set the schedule. As a master calendar hearing attorney, we make sure the record is clean from the start, because mistakes here echo through the rest of the case.
The individual hearing is where the case is actually decided: testimony, evidence, cross-examination, and legal argument on the relief you qualify for. As an individual hearing attorney, this is where preparation wins: the witnesses, the documents, and the theory of the case built long before the hearing date.
For certain long-term residents and certain non-permanent residents who meet strict requirements, cancellation of removal can stop the deportation and, in some cases, lead to a green card. The eligibility rules are demanding and fact-specific, which is exactly why they reward careful, experienced preparation.
Depending on your history, defenses can include asylum or related protection, adjustment of status through a family petition, various waivers of inadmissibility, prosecutorial-discretion requests, and more. Part of our job at the first meeting is finding every door that is still open.
THE APPELLATE EDGE
Immigration judges are human, and they get things wrong. When a judge orders removal, the case is often not over: there is a right to appeal, and the appeal is a distinct discipline of its own. Generally, you have 30 days from the immigration judge's decision to appeal a removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals, the national administrative body that reviews immigration court decisions. That deadline is strict, and missing it can cost the appeal entirely.
If the Board denies the appeal, the fight can continue to the federal courts. A Petition for Review can take the case to the appropriate US Court of Appeals, and in rare cases matters reach the Supreme Court of the United States. This is not routine trial work. It is record-based, brief-driven, deadline-governed litigation, and most firms in this market simply do not do it.
We do. Our founding partner, Jacqueline Delgado, has argued appeals before the Florida Third and Fourth District Courts of Appeal and built her practice around the harder end of immigration, including appellate work. When a removal case needs to move up rather than end, we are already fluent in that world.
WHY DELGADO PURDY LAW
When your family's future is on the line, you should not be explaining the most important facts of your life through a translation service, and you should not be handed off and left guessing. One of our immigration attorneys handles your case directly: the bond hearing, the interview and testimony prep, the strategy, and, if it comes to it, the appeal. We work in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, so the story that decides your case is told in the language you actually think in.
Removal defense is not a sideline for us. It is one of the practice areas this firm was built around, and it reaches all the way up into appellate work that few competitors in South Florida or Atlanta even offer. We keep families together. That is not a slogan we borrowed. It is the reason two immigrant-heritage attorneys built this practice in the first place.
CLIENT REVIEWS
Real Google reviews from our Boynton Beach and Lake Worth offices, across every kind of case we handle. Every card links back to the profile it came from, so nothing here has to be taken on faith.
“Thais is an amazing lawyer and person, and because she’s Brazilian too, our communication was great! During the process she was always there to answer the questions about my immigration process in minutes! She really helped me and clarified everything when I needed. I highly recommend her!”
Deborah Z.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · Boynton Beach
“Delgado Law Group has done a great job on my family’s immigration case. They have been much more professional and productive than our prior legal team. We really appreciate their support.”
Haydee Cedeño
7 months ago · Lake Worth
“Thais was awesome and has great communication. I was having trouble getting my wife’s visa with another lawyer. Thais stepped in and got it done right away. She made our case a priority and I highly recommend hiring her. She turned our stressful situation into an easy one.”
David R.
Honolulu, HI · Boynton Beach
“Amazing job on my case! Amazing service overall! Jackie knows her stuff and will fight hard for you and your case! I am satisfied and would highly recommend! Thank you Jackie and her office for everything.”
Mimi M.
a year ago · Lake Worth
“After two frustrating experiences with other lawyers here in Florida, we finally found someone who would give us all the legal and emotional support to face this difficult and long-awaited dream. Thais Arsolino helped us overcome the fears and challenges of our EB-3. She guided our process from start to finish with dedication. Thank you for being a fundamental part of this achievement for our family!”
Bruna Loyola
Florida · Boynton Beach
Translated from Portuguese.
Verify on Google, Boynton Beach profile“Ms. Delgado is the best lawyer ever. Helped my whole family and can’t thank her enough. God bless Ms. Delgado and her whole crew.”
Manuel Francisco
10 months ago · Lake Worth
“I would recommend this law office over any other in the South Florida area. The care and attention I have received here is unlike any other. When you call, you get to speak with the actual attorney, not an assistant or paralegal.”
Ryan B.
Miami, FL · Boynton Beach
“Thais was always available for my calls and messages. I was surprised at how quickly she and her staff responded to my concerns. I’m happy to say that my case is now over and I can move on with my life.”
Maria F.
Jupiter, FL · Boynton Beach
“No words for the professionalism. I recommend Purdy to everyone. I especially thank Thais, an undisputed professional.”
Lailson Lesbao
Brazil · Boynton Beach
Translated from Portuguese.
Verify on Google, Boynton Beach profileThese are real reviews from real clients, published with their permission. Every immigration case turns on its own facts. A prospective client may not obtain the same or similar results.
DEPORTATION DEFENSE FAQS
First, find out which facility is holding them: you can often locate a detainee through the government's online detainee locator using their name and country of birth, or their A-number. Second, do not let them sign anything, especially any agreement to voluntary departure, before speaking with an attorney; those decisions can be very hard to reverse. Third, call us with the facility location. The sooner we are involved, the sooner we can assess bond eligibility and begin the defense. Detained people can be moved and decisions can happen quickly, so time genuinely matters.
More people than most assume. Removal can reach undocumented immigrants, visa holders who overstayed or violated their status, refugees and asylees in certain circumstances, holders of temporary protections when a program ends, and even lawful permanent residents (green card holders), usually after certain criminal convictions or a finding of fraud. Years of living here and having US citizen family members do not make a person immune. If you are unsure whether you are exposed, that uncertainty is itself a good reason to talk to an attorney.
Yes. Lawful permanent residents can be placed in removal proceedings, most commonly after certain criminal convictions or a determination that the green card was obtained through fraud or misrepresentation. This surprises many people who assume a green card is permanent no matter what. The good news is that LPRs often have strong defenses available, including cancellation of removal and various waivers. If you are a green card holder facing any criminal issue or a removal notice, treat it as urgent and get counsel before anything else.
If your family member is detained, we can request a bond hearing before an immigration judge and argue for their release while the case is fought. The judge weighs whether the person is a danger to the community and whether they are a flight risk. We present the evidence that answers those questions: family ties, steady work, community roots, and a clear plan to appear at every hearing. Being released on bond lets a person fight their case from home, which is both more humane and, practically, better for building a defense.
A master calendar hearing is the procedural first appearance in immigration court: the judge confirms the charges, we enter pleadings and identify the relief you are seeking, and the schedule is set. An individual hearing, sometimes called a merits hearing, is where the case is actually decided, with testimony, evidence, and legal argument. Think of the master calendar as setting the stage and the individual hearing as the trial itself. Both matter, and mistakes at the master calendar stage can hurt you later, which is why we want to be involved from the very first appearance.
Cancellation of removal is a form of relief that can stop a deportation for people who meet strict requirements, and in some cases it can lead to a green card. There are different versions with different rules: one for certain long-term lawful permanent residents and another for certain non-permanent residents who have been here for a long time and can show that removal would cause exceptional hardship to qualifying US citizen or permanent resident family members. The eligibility rules are demanding and very fact-specific, so whether you qualify is exactly the kind of question to bring to a consultation.
Often, yes. Generally you have 30 days from the immigration judge's decision to appeal a removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals, the national body that reviews immigration court decisions. That deadline is firm, so an appeal has to be decided on quickly. If the Board denies the appeal, the case can sometimes continue to the federal Court of Appeals through a Petition for Review. Appellate immigration work is a distinct skill, record-based and brief-driven, and it is one this firm actually offers, which is uncommon in our market.
Detention facilities generally do not accept incoming phone calls to detainees. Contact usually runs the other way (the detained person can make outgoing calls or use the facility's messaging system), and in-person visitation is possible but governed by each facility's own rules and hours. Because facilities differ and people can be transferred, the fastest path is usually to locate the person, learn that facility's specific procedures, and let us help you navigate them. Call us with the location and we will walk you through how to reach your loved one.
RELATED PRACTICE AREAS
KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER
Schedule a consultation and we will look at your case honestly, tell you which defenses are still open, and give you the real path forward before you commit to anything. If a family member is detained, call us now and tell us where they are being held. We will answer in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French.
