Who We Are

The Association of Deportation Defense Attorneys, Inc. (ADDA) is an organization of deportation defense attorneys in the New York City metropolitan area. We are dedicated to serving as a voice for the deportation defense bar and improving the fairness and humanity of deportation proceedings. We also serve as a resource for the press, Congressional offices and individuals and stakeholders interested in learning more about how our Immigration Courts function, and how they can be improved.

We hold monthly dinner meetings that are open to all deportation defense attorney members and non-members of the defense bar. We begin with a short discussion of recent decisions and current issues in our local courts, followed by a presentation, by seasoned immigration attorneys, of specific topics related to deportation defense. Our recent continuing legal education lectures have addressed: detention, bond and habeas corpus proceedings; motions to terminate utilizing the categorical approach; legal theories for challenging recent BIA decisions which curtail access to asylum protection; and strategies for coping with stresses related to the practice of deportation defense.

 

At a recent meeting, the former BIA Chair, Paul Schmidt, led a panel discussing the need for an independent, Article I, Immigration Court; at another meeting, we honored Dan Kesselbrenner, former Director of the National Lawyers Guild’s National Immigration Project, and co-author of Immigration Law and Crimes, for his lifetime of work dedicated to safeguarding the rights of immigrants.

 

If you practice deportation defense, you are invited to become a member of our organization by using the “Become A Member” button on our home page. We are open to all members of the deportation defense bar. If you are a member of the public, feel free to explore the public areas of our website and use the links we provide to other sites related to deportation defense and immigration law.

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If you are a member of the press, please contact our liaison, ADDA Board member and retired Immigration Judge, Jeffrey S. Chase, jeffchase99@gmail.com