One of the biggest problems in removal proceedings is the limited circumstances under which a respondent could challenge the government’s evidence. Usually the Service tries to introduce unreliable evidence to support the respondent’s deportability. I have had several cases when the government tried t o introduce hearsay statements from unnamed sources. The problem is that the Supreme Court has ruled that removal proceedings are civil in nature, decreasing the protections aliens receive. As a result the respondent would be unable to the Fourth Amendment to suppress evidence. A respondent could use the Fifth Amendment to suppress evidence if the evidence is unreliable and its introduction would be fundamentally unfair. I have used the Fifth Amendment Due Process Clause to suppress evidence in removal proceedings before.
However, several circuits have applied the Fourth Amendment to suppress or even terminate removal proceedings. These cases are limited to egregious cases where the Service violates a respondent’s protected rights. The BIA has recently terminated proceedings where the Service committed these violations.
My dream is to argue a case where I would challenge the Supreme Court’s determination that removal proceedings are civil. I believe that this classification is erroneous. Removal proceedings have become more sophisticated and more aliens are being removed for criminal violations. These respondents deserve to receive Due Process if they are being banished from the country.
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