If the term “aggravated felony” sounds it refers like a serious crime, it should. Any noncitizen convicted of an aggravated felony will lose the right to many types of immigration benefits.
The difficulty with the term “aggravated felony” is that it comes from federal law, yet must be applied to crimes that were most likely prosecuted under a state law. There’s a sort of mismatch, in which state crimes that may sound minor to most people, did not involve violence, and may not even be called felonies are nevertheless viewed as aggravated felonies by federal immigration authorities. A person with a misdemeanor on his or her record could conceivably be told by U.S. immigration authorities that the crime was, in their view, an aggravated felony.
To view the description of crimes that are considered aggravated felonies under immigration law, go to the Immigration and Nationality Act at I.N.A. § 101(a)(45).
This list includes, in brief summary:
- murder
- rape
- sexual abuse of a minor (which can include statutory rape)
- drug trafficking
- trafficking in firearms or destructive devices
- various other offenses concerning firearms or explosive materials
- racketeering
- money laundering of more than $10,000
- fraud or tax evasion involving more than $10,000
- theft or violent crime with a sentence order of at least one year
- perjury with a sentence of at least one year
- kidnapping
- child pornography
- trafficking in persons or running a prostitution business
- spying, treason, or sabotage
- commercial bribery, counterfeiting, forgery, or trafficking in vehicles
- failure to appear in court on a felony charge for which a sentence of two years in prison may be imposed
- alien smuggling, and
- obstruction of justice, perjury, or bribery of a witness, if the term of imprisonment was at least one year.
This is not a complete list of potential aggravated felonies, and you should not attempt to evaluate your or anyone’s situation based upon it. As you might guess, a lot of cases concerning whether a particular crime qualifies as an aggravated felony become the center of much argument, leading to many court appeals. Consult an immigration lawyer for a full analysis.