About the Washington Immigration Defense Group, PLLC
Located in Seattle, the Washington Immigration Defense Group is a law firm that handles a wide range of immigration matters from family-based and humanitarian-based applications before USCIS to complex removal defense, appeals, and litigation in federal court.
Significant cases handled by our attorneys before the U.S. Courts of Appeals
Our attorneys strive to change the immigration legal landscape by pursuing cases with an impact. Significant published cases include:
Medina-Lara v. Holder, 771 F.3d 1106 (9th Cir. 2014), holding that the government failed to carry its burden of proof showing that Mr. Medina-Lara, a lawful permanent resident, was deportable by reason of a conviction for an aggravated felony. The Court ordered Mr. Medina-Lara's immediate release from detention, where he had been detained without bond by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for five years. The Court remanded his case with instructions that the Board of Immigration Appeals grant Mr. Medina-Lara's motion to terminate removal proceedings. Attorney Lori Walls briefed the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Ibarra v. Holder, 736 F.3d 903 (10th Cir. 2013), holding that "Ms. Ibarra's conviction under COLO. REV. STAT. §§ 18-6-401(1)(a), (7)(b)(II), for negligently permitting her children to be placed in a situation where they might have been injured, when no injury occurred, does not fit the generic federal definition of child “abuse, neglect, or abandonment” in 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(E)(i), and should not have prohibited her application for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)." Attorney Mari Matsumoto argued the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Medina-Lara v. Holder, 771 F.3d 1106 (9th Cir. 2014), holding that the government failed to carry its burden of proof showing that Mr. Medina-Lara, a lawful permanent resident, was deportable by reason of a conviction for an aggravated felony. The Court ordered Mr. Medina-Lara's immediate release from detention, where he had been detained without bond by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for five years. The Court remanded his case with instructions that the Board of Immigration Appeals grant Mr. Medina-Lara's motion to terminate removal proceedings. Attorney Lori Walls briefed the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Ibarra v. Holder, 736 F.3d 903 (10th Cir. 2013), holding that "Ms. Ibarra's conviction under COLO. REV. STAT. §§ 18-6-401(1)(a), (7)(b)(II), for negligently permitting her children to be placed in a situation where they might have been injured, when no injury occurred, does not fit the generic federal definition of child “abuse, neglect, or abandonment” in 8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)(E)(i), and should not have prohibited her application for cancellation of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1229b(b)(1)." Attorney Mari Matsumoto argued the case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.