AMLA Team: Over the past year, your firm has handled a wide range of complex immigration matters. Can you give us an overview of your recent work?
Rizwan:
During 2025 and continuing into 2026, our firm has been deeply engaged in both affirmative and defensive immigration work, with a strong focus on humanitarian relief. We successfully secured numerous asylum approvals for individuals seeking protection in the United States, often under challenging factual and procedural circumstances.
In parallel, we handled a significant number of immigration bond proceedings. Many of our clients were detained and facing prolonged confinement, often with immigration judges initially denying bond requests on jurisdictional grounds. Despite these hurdles, we were able to obtain bond grants in several cases, allowing our clients to reunite with their families and continue their proceedings outside of detention.
AMLA Team: Bond proceedings can be particularly difficult, especially given recent jurisdictional challenges. How did your firm approach these cases?
Rizwan:
These cases required a highly strategic and persistent approach. My team carefully analyzed the jurisdictional issues raised by immigration courts and tailored our arguments to overcome those barriers. Even in situations where judges initially took the position that they lacked jurisdiction, we continued to advocate aggressively and present alternative legal pathways.
Ultimately, our efforts resulted in multiple clients securing release from detention. For those individuals, the impact was immediate and profound—regaining their liberty while pursuing their cases in a more stable and humane environment.
AMLA Team: Beyond asylum and detention work, what other areas have seen success?
Rizwan:
We also achieved strong results in family-based and humanitarian immigration pathways. My firm assisted clients with adjustment of status applications, as well as filings under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and U visa programs.
We supported clients throughout the entire process—from preparation to interview representation—and many of these cases resulted in approvals. Notably, several of our clients received lawful permanent residence during this period, which is always a meaningful milestone both legally and personally.
AMLA Team: You also mentioned federal litigation. Can you tell us about your habeas corpus work?
Rizwan:
Yes, in 2026 we secured two important victories in federal habeas corpus litigation, both involving challenges to prolonged immigration detention.
In one case, I represented a client with particularly complex immigration circumstances. Despite those challenges, we were able to persuade a federal judge to grant a bond hearing before a neutral immigration judge, ensuring that the client’s detention was properly reviewed.
The second case was even more demanding. Our client, an Uzbek national classified as an arriving alien, had initially been granted parole, which was later terminated. The government relied heavily on that classification to justify continued detention and strongly opposed release. Despite those arguments, we successfully challenged the government’s position. Following the final hearing, the client was released from custody—an outcome that required both detailed legal work and sustained advocacy.
AMLA Team: Is there a particular case that stands out as especially meaningful?
Rizwan:
One recent case that stands out involved a Honduran national who was detained and facing significant uncertainty. Before coming to us, his case had been administratively closed, leaving him without a clear path forward.
After his detention, his family sought our assistance. I worked to reopen and reposition the case, focusing on a protection-based strategy. Through diligent preparation and advocacy, we ultimately secured a grant of asylum on his behalf.
This outcome was especially meaningful because it not only changed his legal status, but also restored stability for his family during a very difficult time. Cases like this underscore why this work matters.
AMLA Team: What drives your firm’s approach to immigration advocacy?
Rizwan:
At its core, our work is about protecting fundamental rights and ensuring that individuals are given a fair opportunity to present their case. Whether we are litigating in federal court, advocating in detention contexts, or guiding clients through humanitarian pathways, our focus remains the same: rigorous legal work combined with a deep commitment to our clients’ futures.
These cases are often complex and high-stakes, but they also carry a very human dimension. That is what continues to drive our practice.
