This Just In: Crimmigration Law

Crimmigration Law describes the convergence of two distinct bodies of law: criminal law and procedure with immigration law and procedure. Crimmigration Law lays out crimmigration law’s contours. It tracks the legal developments that have created crimmigration law and explains the many ways in which the stark line that once appeared to keep criminal law firmly divided from immigration law has melted away. In doing so, it highlights crimmigration law’s most salient features—its ability to substantially raise the stakes of criminal prosecutions by dramatically expanding the list of crimes that can result in removal from the United States, its willingness to freely rely on crimes that apply only to migrants, and its vast dependence on detention as a means of policing immigration law.

The author, César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández is a visiting professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He has been tracking crimmigration law develompents twice a week on crImmigration.com since 2009.