Ineffective Assistance Revives Mexican Couple’s Immigration Case

A Mexican couple’s U.S. asylum case must be revived, because they allege the ineffective assistance of a non-attorney notario caused an immigration judge to order their removal, the Ninth Circuit said Wednesday.

Israel Sanchez Rosales and Maria Antonia Martinez Hernandez Sanchez arrived in the U.S. in 2000 and have two U.S. citizen teenage sons, one of whom has developmental disabilities. They sought immigration assistance from a notario who told them that because of their long residency in the U.S. and their son’s challenges, they could easily obtain green cards.

The notario prepared and submitted an asylum application on behalf of ...