Pugin v. Garland

The Supreme Court ruled that a state conviction for being an accessory after the fact to a felony counts as an offense relating to obstruction of justice. This means a noncitizen can be deported for this crime even if there was no active investigation or court case happening when the crime occurred.

This decision makes it easier for the government to deport noncitizens who help others hide or escape after committing a crime. It affects individuals who may have believed their state-level convictions would not lead to federal immigration consequences.

The case centered on how broadly the government can define obstruction of justice under the Immigration and Nationality Act. It clarifies that interfering with the law is a deportable offense regardless of whether a formal legal proceeding has officially started.

The Court held that Virginia's offense of accessory after the fact to a felony is an offense relating to obstruction of justice under federal law.

“Virginia’s offense of accessory after the fact to a felony is an offense relating to obstruction of justice even if no formal investigation or proceeding was pending.”

Noncitizens convicted of helping a felon can be deported for obstruction of justice even without a pending investigation.

Lower courts and immigration agencies will now apply this broader definition to other state crimes. Affected parties and their lawyers will need to watch how this ruling impacts pending deportation cases across the country.

The dispute was whether a crime counts as obstruction of justice if no official investigation is active. The Court had to decide if Virginia's accessory laws fit the federal definition for deportation.

Noncitizens with certain state convictions now face a higher risk of being deported. They can be removed from the country even if their crime did not interfere with an existing court case.

The Court ruled that obstruction of justice under the Immigration and Nationality Act does not require a pending proceeding. This allows the law to cover a wider range of interference with justice.

The case returns to lower courts and immigration officials to finalize the deportation process. They will use the Supreme Court's new guidance to handle similar cases.

This ruling follows a trend of the Court broadly interpreting which state crimes trigger federal immigration penalties. It gives the government more power to deport individuals for state-level offenses.