Immigration Law

New Reality in MA Courts – Fall 2025 Criminal Defense Update

By Matthew Barison|2025-09-26T06:22:10+00:00September 26, 2025|Court System, Criminal Justice, Immigration Law|

Immigration

It has been roughly eight months since the beginning of the second Trump administration and some of the changes at the federal level have had an impact on Massachusetts courts. Immigration law issues now loom larger than ever in criminal matters. Individuals who are not documented, or have pending claims, such as for asylum, are at risk of detention and deportation, pre-trial. The pre-trial part of this is what makes today’s landscape different.

In a high profile incident out of Boston Municipal Court’s Central Division, a defendant was taken into ICE custody mid-trial. The federal government refused to return him to the court, triggering a forceful condemnation from the trial judge, though ultimately to no avail. In less high [Read More…]

Crimes of Moral Turpitude, J-1 and J-2 Visas, and Deportation.

In addition to snow, the Metro Boston area has a lot of other assets, such as the fact that we are home to many of America’s top educational institutions. Beyond the academy, we have robust aerospace, defense, robotics and biotechnology industries. Our unique education to employment pipeline fosters innovation and attracts talent worldwide.

Many of our foreign students, scholars and researchers are residing here under the State Department’s J-1 work-study visa program; in fact, there are over 5,000 foreign students and researchers currently in the Commonwealth, most in the Boston area. Many of these J-1 visa holders are here with their spouses and children, who themselves may be granted J-2 visas. J-2 visa holders are afforded the privilege to study [Read More…]