Manhattan Immigration Lawyers

Last Updated on: 11th October 2025, 11:05 am

Manhattan Immigration Lawyers

Thanks for visiting Spodek Law Group – a second-generation law firm managed by Todd Spodek. We have over 50 years of combined experience representing Manhattan immigrants from Chinatown to Washington Heights, from the Lower East Side to Harlem. Our main office is at 233 Broadway in Manhattan – we’re located right in the heart of the borough. Our immigration attorneys have handled thousands of cases since 1976, defending clients through every administration, every policy shift. You know our work – we represented Anna Delvey in the case that became a Netflix series, and we handled the Ghislaine Maxwell juror misconduct case.

If you’re an immigrant in Manhattan in 2025, you’re part of a borough where about 36% of the population is foreign-born. But you’re also living through one of the most aggressive enforcement periods in years. ICE is operating throughout Manhattan – targeting workplaces in Chinatown, staking out courts in Lower Manhattan, conducting raids in Washington Heights. You need Manhattan immigration lawyers who know the local courts, who appear at 26 Federal Plaza regularly, who understand Manhattan immigration enforcement patterns.

Manhattan’s Immigrant Neighborhoods

Manhattan has distinct immigrant communities with their own challenges:

Chinatown – Over 141,000 residents in the surrounding area, with 28.1% identifying as Asian. Large numbers of Fuzhounese-speaking immigrants arrived in the 1980s and 1990s, forming Little Fuzhou east of The Bowery. Chinatown has Cantonese communities and Fuzhounese communities – different languages, different immigration patterns, different challenges.

Washington Heights – About 49% of the population is foreign-born, coming from more than 10 different immigrant groups. The Dominican Republic represents 60% of the immigrant population in Washington Heights – 48,371 citizens. About 61% of residents identify as Hispanic. This neighborhood has been experiencing gentrification, with more than 17,000 Hispanic residents leaving between 2010 and 2020.

Harlem – Large West African, Caribbean, and Latin American immigrant communities. Senegalese, Guinean, Ghanaian families building businesses and communities.

Lower East Side – Historically an immigrant gateway, still home to Chinese, Hispanic, and other immigrant communities.

At Spodek Law Group, we represent clients from every Manhattan neighborhood. Our main office is at 233 Broadway – accessible by subway from anywhere in Manhattan. We understand that a Fuzhounese family in Chinatown faces different immigration challenges than a Dominican family in Washington Heights or a West African family in Harlem.

Washington Heights Gentrification and Immigration

Washington Heights is changing. More than 17,000 Hispanic residents left Washington Heights and Inwood between 2010 and 2020, while 4,824 white residents moved in. Rising rents are pushing out immigrant families who’ve lived there for decades.

This creates immigration challenges. When you move, you have to update your address with USCIS. If you don’t, you miss important notices. Court dates. Interview notices. Approval notices. Our Manhattan immigration attorneys help clients navigate these changes – making sure USCIS has current addresses, filing change of address forms, handling any issues that arise from missed notices.

Manhattan Courts and ICE Enforcement

Manhattan has multiple courthouses where ICE conducts enforcement:

Manhattan Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street. Manhattan Supreme Court at 60 Centre Street. Manhattan Family Court at 60 Lafayette Street. The immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza. ICE agents know these locations. They stake them out. They wait for immigrants who have pending criminal cases or family court cases.

If you have a court appearance in Manhattan and you’re undocumented or you have immigration issues, you need to be careful. Our Manhattan immigration lawyers coordinate with criminal defense attorneys and family law attorneys to protect our clients during court appearances. We explore remote appearances when possible. We communicate with ICE field offices when appropriate. We do everything possible to keep you safe.

26 Federal Plaza – Manhattan Immigration Court

The immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza handles cases from all five boroughs. If you’re in removal proceedings, you’ll appear here. Our immigration attorneys appear at 26 Federal Plaza regularly. We know the immigration judges. We know their patterns, their preferences, what arguments work with each judge. That local knowledge matters when your life is on the line.

Immigration Services We Provide in Manhattan

We handle every type of immigration case Manhattan clients need:

Deportation Defense – If you’re in removal proceedings at 26 Federal Plaza, we fight to keep you here. Many of the cases we’re famous for handling – are cases that others say were unwinnable. This is key to why clients choose us.

ICE Detention and Bond Hearings – If ICE arrested you, we file bond motions immediately. We’ve gotten Manhattan clients released from detention facilities throughout the region.

Family Immigration – Marriage green cards, bringing family members to the United States. We handle the entire process from petition through interview at 26 Federal Plaza.

Asylum – If you fled persecution in China, the Dominican Republic, West Africa, or anywhere else, we help you apply for asylum. The deadline is one year from arrival. Don’t wait.

Work Visas – H-1B visas for tech workers, nurses, engineers. L-1 visas for managers. O-1 visas for artists, musicians, actors – Manhattan has huge creative and professional communities.

Naturalization – Becoming a U.S. citizen. We review your entire immigration history before filing. We prepare you for the interview.

Multilingual Services for Manhattan Communities

Our team speaks multiple languages and works with interpreters. Mandarin, Cantonese, Fuzhounese, Spanish, French, Wolof, Arabic – we serve Manhattan’s immigrant communities in their own languages.

Why Spodek Law Group for Manhattan Immigrants

We pride ourselves on having a rock star team of attorneys who have over 50 years of combined experience. Our team includes former federal prosecutors who understand how the government builds immigration cases.

Unlike other law firms who are more focused on their relationship with prosecutors and judges, Spodek Law Group owes loyalty to only YOU. We are focused on our clients and getting them the best outcome possible. Many law firms are ‘mills’ and take on every single client. We focus on only working with clients who we can truly help.

In 2022, Netflix released a series about one of Todd’s clients: Anna Delvey. This case captivated the national spotlight, resulting in a Netflix show created by Shonda Rhimes. Our firm has been featured on NY Post, Newsweek, Fox 5, Business Insider, Bloomberg, USA Today, and the New York Times.

Our main office is at 233 Broadway in Manhattan – easily accessible by subway from anywhere in the city. We have a completely online digital portal for all communications. We’re available 24/7.

Our managing partner, Todd Spodek, is a seasoned attorney – who has many, many, years of experience. He is a second-generation lawyer, with years of experience successfully handling hundreds of complex cases. Regardless of how complicated your case is, or how challenging it is – we can help you get the outcome you need and want.

Call Spodek Law Group today. Your future is in jeopardy – and you need the best Manhattan immigration lawyers fighting for you.