About the Materials
The following information was developed by DWN member agency Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project to help people in U.S. immigration detention and their friends and families better understand immigration proceedings. The nine packets will assist detained individuals in identifying whether or not they have relief from removal and in representing themselves if no other counsel is available. The materials may also be helpful training tools for legal staff and pro bono attorneys.

These materials provide general information about immigration law, not legal advice. They were last updated on May 2003 and were accurate at that time, but since immigration law is constantly changing, some of the information in the packets may no longer be accurate.

These information packets are not a substitute for an attorney. Anyone who can afford an immigration attorney should consult one if at all possible.

Files for Download
Most materials are available in English and Spanish versions. All are PDF files, which require the free Acrobat Reader. Click here if you have trouble opening PDF files.

All About Bonds — English |Spanish Are You a United States Citizen? — English |Spanish         · Appendix with sample forms — English only         · Citizenship Chart — English |Spanish Asylum, Withholding of Removal and Convention Against Torture Protection — English |Spanish Cancellation of Removal for Undocumented Immigrants (Covers both 10-year cancellation and 3-year cancellation under VAWA for battered spouses) — English |Spanish Cancellation of Removal for Legal Permanent Residents (Also discusses 212(c) waivers) — English |Spanish Expedited Removal and Reinstatement of Removal — English |Spanish How to Apply to DHS for Release from Custody — English |Spanish How to Apply for Voluntary Departure — English |Spanish How to Get Status Through Your Family Member (Includes a discussion of waivers of criminal and other grounds of inadmissibility) — English |Spanish How to Prepare for Your DHS Custody Review — English only

The Florence Project grants permission for these packets to be downloaded and reproduced, as is, for personal use or distribution to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees, individuals in DHS custody and entities that assist detainees. Sale of these documents or any part thereof for profit shall constitute a copyright violation. No changes may be made to these materials, including translation into other languages, without approval by the Florence Project. To seek approval, write to   Executive Director Florence Project P.O. Box 654 Florence, Arizona 85232

Acknowledgments
The packets were developed as a resource for the Detention Watch Network with funding from the Ford Foundation and with the guidance of a National Advisory Board composed of experts from nonprofit immigration law organizations.

Advisory Board Members

• Jeanne Butterfield, Executive Director, American Immigration Lawyers Association
• Regina Germain, formerly Senior Legal Counselor, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
• Dan Kesselbrenner, Director, National Immigration Project, National Lawyers Guild
• Linton Joaquin, Director of Litigation, National Immigration Law Center
• Judy Rabinovitz, Senior Staff Attorney, Immigrant Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union
• Mark Silverman, Staff Attorney, Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• Carol Wolchok, Staff Director, ABA Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice & Pro Bono

The materials were reviewed and approved for distribution by the General Counsel’s Office of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The INS agreed to distribute the packets to all facilities where immigration detainees are held in accordance with the INS Detention Standards. DHS continues to abide by this commitment.