Thread: Immigration Advocates Slam Last-Minute Mukasey Rule

Asylum Seekers Cannot Appeal Lawyer Incompetence
By Daphne Eviatar 2/24/09 6:00 AM

On January 7, just two weeks before the inauguration of President Obama, Attorney General Michael Mukasey ruled that immigrants have no right to be represented by a lawyer, and no right to appeal an adverse ruling based on a lawyer’s mistakes.

“Neither the Constitution nor any statutory or regulatory provision,â€

[quote]When Buwalda took over the case, she said the previous attorney initially refused to cooperate or even to turn over the case files. “Obviously there was a problem with prior counsel. Had my client received appropriate communication from his lawyer, he would not be in detention and he would be happily enjoying marital bliss.â€

[quote]Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, agrees. “There’s a traditional division between criminal and civil proceedings. The immigration bar and their advocates want every deportation proceeding to be treated like a criminal trial. That’s not the case. When you send somebody home, you’re sending them home. It’s not punitive. You’re simply making a determination as to their civil status,â€

Duplicate:

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-147374.html