“Denied” Part 1:
As the Trump Administration takes a firm hold of all immigration, this is a word that is becoming all too common. Sadly, it’s becoming a more common story. A person applies for EB-5. They listen to their lawyer, they follow all the rules, and they patiently wait for their conditional green card. Then, years pass. They get a job, buy a home, and build a life. They pay their taxes and become part of their community. However, at the final stage of the process, despite doing everything right, they get a denial. Worse, they get a notice to appear before an immigration judge. Why? And what can they do?
Unfortunately, more and more people are asking those questions. Why is USCIS issuing more Notices to Appear? How worried should people be? Has there been any success fighting these? Mona and Rebecca sit down with John Pratt to tackle the complicated thorny topic of denials in the final stretch of the EB-5 process.
“And they have a plan. They have a plan to, bottom line is, assign military judges to do immigration. Now, you know, again, I think that these judges are going to be fair, but there’s disparities in the immigration judge who you get. There are disparities in the prosecutor. […] [President Trump] singled out, among other petitions, I-485 denials, I-829 denials. What he instructed the agency is to no longer procrastinate, and as soon as they deny it, to put the person in a removal proceeding context. Let’s also remember not to create fear. The big, beautiful bill just awarded DHS, ICE, and the prosecutors over 40 billion dollars to ramp up deportation. That’s part of what’s happening.” – John Patrick Pratt
John Pratt
John Patrick Pratt received his Bachelor of Arts from Florida State University with honors in 1994. He graduated from Tulane University School of Law, receiving his juris doctor degree in 1997. Mr. Pratt also studied abroad at the University of Paris and is fluent in Spanish. Mr. Pratt is admitted to the bar of the State of Florida, the District of Columbia, United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association.
Mr. Pratt has appeared numerous times on local, national, and international television as a commentator analyzing immigration and nationality law matters. He is a frequent speaker on immigration matters at national and local conferences. In addition, Mr. Pratt’s biography has been selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, and the South Florida Legal Guide selected him as an Up-and-Coming Attorney. Furthermore, has been selected as one of the top attorneys in Immigration and Nationality law by the publication Best Lawyers in America and is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell, which indicates the highest level of legal ability & ethics.
Mr. Pratt concentrates on all areas of immigration and nationality law, including employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, deportation or removal, and federal court litigation.
In addition, check out our previous podcasts with John Pratt here!