ICE Attorney Allegedly Forged Document to Argue Ineligibility for Cancellation of Removal

The Seattle Times reports that an Jonathan Love, an ICE attorney with the Office of Chief Counsel, allegedly forged a document in order to argue that a noncitizen respondent in Immigration Court was not eligible for discretionary relief from removal. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against Love in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The noncitizen in this case was represented by Matt Adams at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who expressed his belief that DHS should review all cases handled by Love for potential additional victims of the attorney’s fraud.  

Given that a right to counsel does not exist in the immigration context, it is frightening to think of what documents and allegations might have been filed in other cases assigned to this trial attorney, where respondents went unrepresented.  ICE often disputes statutory eligibility for discretionary relief, which results in an automatic loss for the noncitizen. However, in cases where noncitizens are found to be eligible for relief (as in this case), it is worth noting that ICE still could have contested a grant of relief on discretionary grounds. Here, perhaps Love thought that forgery would simply result in an easy deportation.  Either way, the case is troubling.

For more on the role of ICE attorneys in the immigration enforcement system, check out Jason Cade’s article, “The Challenge of Seeing Justice Done in Removal Proceedings.”

-JKoh