Helped a Family Member Enter the U.S. the Wrong Way? Smuggling Waivers
Did you enter the U.S. illegally with your young children?
Were you and your sibling sent together to the U.S. by your parents with the help of a coyote?
Did you drive your mother-in-law across the border when she had no papers but were waived through?
All of these situations could be interpreted by U.S. immigration authorities as acts of smuggling, which can bar the issuance of a green card. Know your rights and any options. Let us help.
There are also very severe criminal and potential deportation consequences to those engaged in smuggling efforts. And no one has to be paid for helping someone else come across the border to be considered a smuggler. The person charged with smuggling doesn’t have to be a coyote or working with organized crime. The person ineligible for a green card due to being considered a smuggler can be a mother, father, or sibling who is just trying to help their loved one across the border for their own protection or to offer them a better life.
There is a limited waiver that can be granted if the government believes that the “smuggler” deserves it for humanitarian purposes, to ensure family unity, or when the public interest is served. This waiver only applies if the person smuggled into the U.S. is the son or daughter, parent, or spouse of the person being charged with a smuggling inadmissibility ground (ground to deny a green card). Smuggling a fiancé into the U.S. does not qualify for the waiver.