Sterne Kessler Succeeds at Bond Hearing to Release Detained Deferred Action Clients

Washington D.C. (April 9, 2019) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox is proud to announce success in bond hearings for two clients in the Batavia Immigration Court in New York. The clients were witnesses against their former employer in the Western District of New York. In exchange for their help, the U.S. Government temporarily suspended immigration actions against the clients and granted both work authorizations. However, when called to renew their deferred action status this year, traveling from Virginia to Batavia to do so, they were instead detained, and placed in removal proceedings.

The Sterne Kessler pro bono team including Director, Salvador Bezos; Associates, Trevor O’Neill and James Buchanan; and Paralegals, Adam Benavides and Em Richardson, appeared before the immigration judge asking for both clients to be released on bond. The judge was persuaded to grant bond, giving the clients the opportunity to return to their families.

“We are proud of this team for their hard work and making the trip to represent our clients,” said Director Sal Bezos, lead of Sterne Kessler’s immigration-focused pro bono matters. “We are thrilled both clients will soon be reunited with their families in Virginia.”

These cases mark the third and fourth pro bono immigration bond hearings handled by Sterne Kessler in the past year. The firm’s other immigration efforts include serving as plaintiffs’ counsel in a putative class action lawsuit against the Office of Refugee Resettlement (JECM v. Hayes, in the Eastern District of Virginia) and handling multiple U-visa applications for victims of domestic abuse.

Sterne Kessler is dedicated to providing pro bono legal support to deserving organizations and underserved communities—both locally and internationally. A list of representative matters, as well as further information on the practice is available here.

About Sterne Kessler

Based in Washington, D.C. and renowned for more than four decades for dedication to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, Sterne Kessler is one of the most highly regarded intellectual property specialty law firms in the world. Its team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of IP law tackling innovations across a broad spectrum of industries. The firm’s practitioners hold over 50 masters and over 50 doctorate degrees in science or engineering and represent Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups, inventors, venture capital firms, and universities in a client service driven environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating. Visit the firm online at sternekessler.com.