In every plea colloquy involving a noncitizen, defense counsel and the court acknowledge that a plea may carry immigration consequences. Too often, that acknowledgment becomes little more than a formality, without a clear understanding of what those consequences actually are or how unforgiving they can be once a conviction exists. For many noncitizen clients, even minor or decades-old criminal cases later become the sole basis for detention, removal, or permanent bars to relief, with no meaningful opportunity for repair.

This session is designed to move beyond lip service and into practical preparation.

Tony Kozycki will speak from the perspective of a criminal defense attorney practicing daily in Georgia trial courts, where plea negotiations and sentencing structures are made under real-world constraints. Nicole Kozycki will provide the corresponding view from immigration court, where those same criminal decisions are later scrutinized by ICE attorneys and immigration judges, often with catastrophic consequences. Together, they will help demystify what immigration courts are actually looking at when evaluating criminal convictions and identify the key issues defense attorneys should be paying attention to when entering pleas for noncitizen clients.