Videoconferencing in Removal Hearings: A Case Study of the ...

GLOSSARY
Aggravated Felony: A statutory term encompassing a broad array of criminal offenses.
If a non-citizen is deemed an “aggravated felon,” he or she will be ineligible for almost
all forms of relief from removal, will be removed from the United States, and will face a
permanent bar to ever returning.
Alien: Any non-citizen, regardless of immigration status. The study refers generally to
non-citizens as “immigrants,” but within immigration law, “immigrant” is actually a
category of aliens.
Asylum: Asylum is granted to non-citizens in the United States who demonstrate a wellfounded
fear of persecution in their native country on account of their race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. A person
granted asylum in the United States is called an “asylee,” and can apply for lawful
permanent residency one year after being granted asylee status.
Crime Involving Moral Turpitude (CMT): A category of crimes that can form the
basis for removing an alien. Immigration law does not define this term, however,
administrative decisions have interpreted a crime of moral turpitude to be any “conduct
which is inherently base, vile, or depraved, and contrary to the accepted rules of
morality.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS): The agency in charge of the
enforcement of the immigration laws, including removal (deportation) from the United
States.
Deportation Grounds: The provisions in the Immigration and Nationality Act that the
Government uses to charge an alien already present in the United States with removal.
Deportation grounds can range from being in the country without proper documentation
to past convictions for certain criminal offenses. Aliens seeking admission to the United
States are subject to different rules. See Inadmissibility Grounds below.
EOIR (the Executive Office for Immigration Review): An agency under the
jurisdiction of the Department of Justice that is charged with administering removal
proceedings. This agency includes the immigration judges and the Board of Immigration
Appeals, and is housed in Falls Church, Virginia. EOIR is not part of DHS.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement): A sub-agency of DHS that is
responsible for apprehending, charging, and detaining removable aliens, and removing
those aliens ordered removed.
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA): The Immigration and Nationality Act, 8
U.S.C. § 1101, et seq., is the statute that sets forth the immigration and nationality
(citizenship) laws of the United States.
61