Senior Associate Stephen Antwine joins Green and Spiegel, establishing dedicated practice.
Philadelphia, PA: Immigration Law firm Green and Spiegel has launched additional removal and deportation defense and federal court litigation spearheaded by Senior Associate Stephen Antwine. Stephen joined the Firm a month ago and will now be sharing his experience with their office in Philadelphia. Though he is new to the Firm, Stephen has handled over 100 merits hearings and has been practicing immigration law for a decade. This recently developed service is being offered in response to the Executive Branch’s hard-line approach to immigration matters, including the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Notice to Appear (NTA) memorandum put into effect last month, which is expected to place more immigrants into removal proceedings than ever before.
When asked why he joined the Firm and decided to head this defense practice, Antwine said, “The current Administration has made enforcement and removal of undocumented immigrants a priority, and I enjoy helping immigrants navigate the immigration court process. There are a variety of defenses to removal, even when one is detained, and individuals may be able to remain in the United States and gain lawful status. It is a very technical practice.”
USCIS is one of the administrative branches of immigration that grants immigration benefits and that can initiate removal proceedings. Previously under the Obama Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was the primary agency charged with identifying and issuing NTAs to persons with serious criminal violations and individuals with outstanding removal orders. The NTA memorandum has led to more administrative changes, which are consistent with President Donald Trump's stated hard-line immigration goals. Now, the Trump Administration is empowering USCIS to expand its role in issuing NTAs to include immigrants with minor crimes or even pending criminal cases. It has expanded the focus to make minor or unresolved criminal cases and to prioritize individuals in the U.S. unlawfully, ending prosecutorial discretion.
Fluent in Spanish and Russian, Antwine has over ten years of experience representing individuals in immigration litigation. He represents clients who have overstayed their visa admissions, have no legal authorization to be in the U.S., or are involved in criminal matters. Antwine regularly intervenes after individuals have been detained, guiding clients through bond requests from immigration judges, and assisting after clients have been released from detention and given a court date.
ABOUT: Green and Spiegel, LLC is a law firm specializing in North American immigration law. From large corporate employee transfers to difficult family sponsorships and humanitarian applications for permanent residence, Green and Spiegel can help. With top legal minds in corporate employee transfers, removal/deportation, immigrant investment, family immigration, immigration compliance, and resolving inadmissibility issues, the professionals at Green and Spiegel have been recognized as industry leaders.