Washington Heights Immigration Lawyers

Washington Heights 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 immigrants throughout Manhattan. If you’re here, it’s because you’re dealing with family petition backlogs, marriage green cards, deportation proceedings, or ICE detention.

Washington Heights became the Dominican Historic District in 2025 – officially recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation sparked controversy because while Dominicans make up the largest group in the neighborhood, the area includes Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Cubans, and African Americans whose contributions weren’t highlighted. But there’s no denying the Dominican influence – walk down St. Nicholas Avenue or Broadway and you’ll see Dominican restaurants, bodegas, barbershops, remittance businesses serving families with ties back home.

Family Immigration from the Dominican Republic

Most Washington Heights residents we work with are petitioning family members from the Dominican Republic. U.S. citizens can petition immediate relatives – spouses, parents, unmarried children under 21 – with no numerical caps. But processing still takes forever. I-130 petition approval: 12-18 months. Then consular processing in Santo Domingo adds another 6-12 months. Nearly two years before your spouse can join you.

Petitioning siblings or married adult children faces worse delays. F3 category for married sons and daughters has multi-year backlogs. F4 for siblings stretches 15-20 years. If you filed for your sister in 2008, she might be getting current now in 2025. During that wait her kids aged out at 21 – they need separate petitions.

Green Card Holders Petitioning Spouses

The F2A category for green card holders petitioning spouses used to have crushing wait times. Recent improvements made many dates current, but you’re still looking at 12-18 months from filing to visa interview. During that time couples live apart – one person in New York, the other in Santo Domingo or Santiago, maintaining a marriage across countries.

USCIS scrutinizes these cases for fraud. Officers question why you didn’t file citizenship if you’ve had your green card for years. They look at how often you visit, how you communicate, whether the relationship seems genuine given the separation.

Marriage Fraud Scrutiny Hits Dominican Cases Hard

Dominican marriage cases face intense scrutiny at USCIS. The agency believes marriage fraud is common – U.S. citizens marrying people from the DR for money, or couples exaggerating their relationships to get green cards. At interviews at 26 Federal Plaza, officers ask aggressive questions designed to expose inconsistencies.

What time does your spouse wake up? Who takes out the garbage? What side of the bed do they sleep on? Where do you keep the toothbrushes? These questions trip up couples who’ve spent months or years apart waiting for visa processing. You can be genuinely married but not know your spouse’s daily habits because you’ve been separated.

We prepare couples for these interviews – we explain what USCIS considers normal versus what actually happens in long-distance immigration marriages. We gather evidence that proves the relationship: joint finances and proof you’ve met each other’s families, plus communication records showing the relationship developed over time.

Conditional Green Cards and I-751 Problems

When the marriage is less than two years old at green card approval, USCIS issues conditional status good for two years. Before it expires you file I-751 to remove conditions. That’s when USCIS reviews whether the marriage is still intact and was genuine from the start.

Problems arise when couples separate before removing conditions. Maybe the marriage didn’t work out – cultural differences, family pressure, incompatibility. You still need to remove conditions or lose status. You can file a waiver based on good faith marriage that ended, but USCIS denies these frequently. They think you used the marriage to get a green card then left once you got it.

ICE Enforcement in Washington Heights

In late January 2025, ICE conducted enforcement actions in Washington Heights, the Bronx, and Queens. The Trump administration surged federal law enforcement throughout NYC in early 2025 – arrests increased sixfold.

ICE stakes out immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza. They arrest people coming for hearings. They conduct workplace raids, though these remain less common in NYC than other cities. Restaurant workers, delivery drivers, construction workers worry about encounters. If you have an old deportation order or missed check-ins, ICE can arrest you anytime.

What to Do if ICE Comes to Your Home

You don’t have to open the door unless they have a warrant signed by a judge – and an ICE deportation warrant isn’t the same. That’s an administrative document. Ask them to slide the warrant under the door. If it’s not signed by a federal or state judge, you can refuse entry.

If they enter anyway, don’t resist physically – say “I’m exercising my right to remain silent” and “I want to speak to my lawyer.” Don’t answer questions about where you were born or your immigration status, and don’t sign anything without a lawyer present.

Deportation Defense and Bond Hearings

If ICE detained you, you’re probably at Bergen County Jail in New Jersey or Orange County Jail upstate. We file bond motions immediately – immigration judges consider whether you’re a flight risk, whether you’re a danger to the community, your ties to the area. We prepare evidence: family letters and proof of U.S. citizen children, plus employment records showing community ties.

In removal proceedings, common forms of relief include cancellation of removal if you’ve been here 10+ years with good moral character and U.S. citizen or LPR family members who would suffer exceptional hardship, adjustment of status if you have an approved family petition, or asylum if you fled persecution in the Dominican Republic.

Why We Handle These Cases

Todd Spodek is a second-generation attorney – his father practiced law before him. After graduating from Pace Law School, Todd started appearing in courts throughout New York daily. He’s represented clients in high-profile cases including Anna Delvey – the case that became a Netflix series. Our firm has been featured in The New York Times, Newsweek, Bloomberg.

We work with Spanish-speaking clients regularly, who face challenges unique to the Dominican community in 2025. Marriage petitions scrutinized heavily for fraud – we understand that. Family separation from immigration backlogs – we understand that too. ICE arrests that happen without warning, bond hearings where everything’s at stake, I-751 denials when marriages end. Whether you need help with family petitions, marriage green cards, deportation defense, or ICE detention – call us. We’re available 24/7 because these situations don’t wait.