Santa Barbara DUI Lawyer Talks Drunk Driving and Immigration Law

There is good news and bad news if you are an immigrant and you get a dui or DUI. The good news is that standard California offenses not involving injury to a person or damage to property typically will not lead to deportation. However, there are several drunk driving questions regarding legal and illegal immigration status.

I’m a Legal Immigrant, can I face Deportation?

In California, standard DUI offences will not cause someone with legal residency to face revocation of that status and be deported. However, cases involving vehicular manslaughter or destruction of property on a criminal level or other criminal offenses may come with consequences. Such as a refusal to renew a green card or legal immigration status. These cases are dealt with on a case-by-case basis according to detailed circumstances.

I’m an Illegal Immigrant, Can I Face Deportation?

Someone with illegal or undocumented residency will not automatically face deportation. That is if U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) does not place a hold on you while you are under arrest. This does not typically happen for first time offences, especially if there is no personal injury or property damage.

Each case is unique, which is why if you are a legal or illegal immigrant the first thing you need to do is consult with an immigration lawyer. With each offense, whether the person is legal or illegal, the charge of a felony DUI may become a hindrance to obtaining or keeping legal immigration status and may trigger a hold at ICE especially if there are multiple offenses on the immigrants history.

What Do I Do If I am an Immigrant and I get Arrested for a DUI?

We can recommend three impressive immigration lawyers ready to answer your questions:

1.  Abbe Allen Kingston has practiced immigration law in Santa Barbara for 25 years. He has been certified by the California State Bar as an Immigration Law Specialist. A substantial part of his practice focuses on the transfer of international personnel.

2.  Arnold S. Jaffe Immigration Law Office. With over 25 years of practice, I have learned the process of resolving individual cases, understanding the law and how it applies to the facts in your case. I am available to answer my client’s questions whenever they arise. I look forward to doing everything possible to obtain or protect your immigration status.

3.  Law Office of Maria DoCouto. The firm is located in the beautiful city of Santa Barbara, California and has been providing services in the area of U.S. Immigration Law since 1999. We specialize in the area of family and business immigration law and also have experience with consulting processing cases. Although Immigration Law governs all immigration affairs, it is important to be aware of the different procedures and processing times at a specific U.S. Consulate.

Each individual DUI case needs to be analyzed by an Immigration lawyer. The unique impact of the charges in California for a DUI has to be assessed with an expert as soon as possible. So as soon as the person obtains a Santa Barbara DUI lawyer, they will need to immediate consult with a Santa Barbara Immigration lawyer.

About the Author: Kenneth M. Hallum is a Santa Barbara DUI Attorney.  Hallumlaw.com is a web site where you’ll find more helpful resources about Santa Barbara DUI Statistics, DUI Santa Barbara and penalties for DUI.   For more information about underage DUI penalties, Santa Barbara drunk driver cases, plea bargain and penalties for a DUI, bookmark http://www.hallumlaw.com