Here Stood My Dreaming Tree: A Proposal to Reform Non-LPR Cancellation of Removal to Bring Undocumented Immigrants Out of the Shadows

Authors

Andrea Barrientos, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Abstract

The note advocates for expanding nonLPR (non-Lawful Permanent Resident) cancellation of removal as a pathway to lawful status for undocumented immigrants. It critiques the current system’s restrictive eligibility criteria, annual caps, and high hardship standards, arguing that these limitations exclude many deserving applicants. The proposed reforms aim to eliminate the 4,000-person cap, convert the relief into an affirmative process, and lower the hardship standard to align immigration policy with U.S. values of fairness and inclusion. By doing so, the reforms would stabilize families, reduce marginalization, and bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows.

Disciplines

Education Law | First Amendment | Immigration Law | Jurisprudence | Law | State and Local Government Law

Recommended Citation

Andrea Barrientos, Here Stood My Dreaming Tree: A Proposal to Reform Non-LPR Cancellation of Removal to Bring Undocumented Immigrants Out of the Shadows, 27 Cardozo J. Equal Rts. & Soc. Just. 535 (2021).
Available at: https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/cardozoersj/vol27/iss3/4