A Kenyan-born immigration lawyer practicing in the US Jeff Matemu on Wednesday won a major case against the United States Attorney-General Jeff Sessions.
In what is referred as a historic ruling made by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal in Richmond, Virginia, petty crimes without conviction will no longer be used by Trump's administration to deport scores of illegal immigrants in the US as has happened in the past.
In his submissions, the lawyer explained: "This is the case of immigrants who have been granted a PJC or a prayer for judgment continued. A prayer for judgment continued or sometimes referred to as “PJC” or “continued judgment” is a device that in the court's discretion may be granted even though a person charged with certain offenses has pleaded guilty or responsible.
"The court does not enter a final judgment of conviction in the case. By not entering a final judgment in the case, the plea is not entered against a person,"Matemu exclaimed.
[caption caption="Kenyan-born immigration lawyer Jeff Matemu who practices law in US"]
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Additionally, he noted that the same grounds have always been used to deny aliens the right to file court cases to argue their defenses against deportation in cases where the crime is the issue.
"I filed a case against the United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the court agreed with me, ruling in favour of my client Jose Guzman Gonzalez," Matemu mentioned.
Mr Matemu stated that the decision impacts most likely hundreds if not thousands of cases currently pending in immigration courts, especially drug-related offenses.
"Many pending deportation cases may have to be reviewed, reopened, remanded or just terminated. His (the client’s win) is a new lifeline for many immigrants," Matemu concluded.
According to immigration attorneys and civil advocacy groups, the decision by their Court of Appeal is a very important win for immigrants because courts have for many years misinterpreted the law to deport immigrants accused of committing petty crimes but whose conviction is always postponed under state law without a finding of guilt.
Mr Matemu is currently a candidate for US House of Representatives in the second District in North Carolina.
He is notably one of the leading immigration attorneys in the US, is very popular among the Latino community in North Carolina who have relied on him for difficult immigration cases.
[caption caption="U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to law enforcement officers at the Thomas Eagleton U.S. Courthouse"]
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