Nassau & Suffolk Counties
Long Island's communities — from Hempstead and Brentwood to Central Islip and Elmont — include thousands of immigrants who fled violence, persecution, and danger in their home countries. Mandi Law Group's asylum attorneys represent Long Island clients in affirmative and defensive asylum cases, building the strongest possible claim for protection. Call (518) 698-0347 for a confidential consultation.
Long Island has a unique place in the story of Central American immigration to the United States. Towns like Hempstead, Brentwood, and Central Islip have become home to large Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and Honduran communities — many of whom fled not only poverty but genuine danger: MS-13 violence, forced recruitment, targeted killings, and gender-based persecution.
Asylum is a complex area of immigration law where the difference between winning and losing can mean the difference between safety and deportation to life-threatening conditions. Mandi Law Group's asylum attorneys have the knowledge and experience to build strong cases for Long Island immigrants, whether through affirmative applications with USCIS or defensive claims before Immigration Judges.
If you are from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, or any other country and fear return, call (518) 698-0347 for a confidential case evaluation. We serve Nassau County, Suffolk County, and all of Long Island.
We represent Long Island asylum seekers at every stage — from initial application through the asylum office interview, immigration court hearings, and appeals.
We file affirmative asylum applications with USCIS for Long Island clients who have not yet been placed in removal proceedings. The asylum office reviews your I-589 application and conducts a non-adversarial interview. Cases involving Central American gang violence, domestic violence, and political persecution are carefully prepared.
If you are in removal proceedings, you may apply for defensive asylum as a defense to deportation before an Immigration Judge. We prepare and present your full case including declarations, country condition evidence, and expert testimony at the Long Island immigration docket through 26 Federal Plaza.
Many Long Island residents — particularly in Hempstead, Brentwood, and Central Islip — fled MS-13 and Barrio 18 violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. We build asylum cases based on membership in particular social groups targeted by gang violence, including young men who resisted recruitment and women fleeing gender-based violence.
If you cannot meet asylum's one-year filing deadline or do not qualify under refugee grounds, CAT protection may still save you from removal. CAT applies when there are substantial grounds to believe you would be tortured in your home country — regardless of your immigration history or criminal record.
Asylees who have held status for one year may apply for a green card (I-485 based on I-730 asylee category). We file asylee green card applications and also help derivative asylees — spouses and children granted asylum derivative status — adjust their status.
The one-year asylum filing deadline runs from your last entry into the U.S. Missing this deadline does not eliminate all options. We evaluate whether changed or extraordinary circumstances excuse late filing and pursue withholding of removal or CAT protection when the deadline bars a full asylum claim.
Gang violence cases have become more complex after recent BIA decisions, but many Long Island Salvadorans have valid asylum claims. The key is establishing that you were persecuted (or have a well-founded fear of persecution) based on a protected ground — such as membership in a particular social group, political opinion, or race. Cases involving former gang members who were forcibly recruited and later refused, family members of witnesses to gang crimes, and women fleeing gang-related domestic violence have succeeded before. We analyze every client's specific circumstances carefully.
Affirmative asylum applications with USCIS currently have very long backlogs — asylum interview scheduling can take 3–7 years or more in many cases. If you are in removal proceedings, your case moves through the Immigration Court on a different schedule, currently running 3–5 years to a final hearing in NYC-area dockets. In the meantime, asylees-pending can obtain work authorization (I-765) and may receive a Social Security number and other benefits. We manage your case through every stage.
Yes. The one-year deadline may be excused by changed circumstances (changed country conditions or your personal circumstances) or extraordinary circumstances (mental illness, ineffective assistance of prior counsel, serious illness). Even if you cannot meet the deadline for full asylum, you may qualify for withholding of removal (a higher standard but no time bar) or Convention Against Torture (CAT) protection, both of which prevent your removal. We evaluate all three avenues for every Long Island client.
Certain convictions bar asylum regardless of the merits of your persecution claim. Particularly serious crimes (an aggravated felony or a 'particularly serious crime' determination) and security-related bars can make you ineligible for asylum. However, the same bars do not apply to withholding of removal, and CAT protection has no criminal bar at all. Even if you have a criminal record, removal may still be preventable — but the legal analysis is complex. We review all criminal history before advising on strategy.
Long Island residents in removal proceedings are typically assigned to the New York Immigration Court at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Detained cases may be heard at the Varick Street Detention Court (201 Varick St) if the detainee is held in a NYC facility, or at other detained courts depending on where ICE holds you. USCIS affirmative asylum interviews for Long Island applicants may take place at the Newark or New York Asylum Office. Our attorneys appear at all these locations.
If you fled persecution, violence, or danger, you may have the right to stay in the United States. Our Long Island asylum attorneys will evaluate your case and fight for your safety. Call Mandi Law Group for a confidential consultation.