A case that began in 2018 with a man walking out a courthouse back door has just closed with a public reprimand. The story sounds remote, but it carries a very concrete lesson for anyone with a hearing coming up.
En el bufete de abogados Campos, seguimos de cerca la evolución de la política de inmigración de EE. UU. para proteger los derechos y el futuro de nuestros clientes. A continuación te explicamos lo que se sabe, lo que aún no se sabe y qué puedes hacer.
What did the Massachusetts court decide?
El September 10, 2026, el Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court — the state’s highest court — issued a public reprimand to Judge Shelley Joseph of the Newton District Court.
It stems from a 2018 hearing in a drug possession case, during which the defendant left through a back door of the courthouse while an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer waited outside to arrest him.
What the court did find is that the judge created an “appearance of impropriety”: she instructed the clerk to turn off the courtroom’s audio recording system and floated holding the defendant overnight in state custody.
What the court did not find matters just as much: it did not conclude that she knowingly conspired to help the man evade ICE. That is why the sanction is a reprimand rather than removal.
Why does an off-the-record conversation weigh so heavily?
Because in a courtroom, the record is the case. The audio recording and the docket are the proof of what was said, by whom, and on what basis.
When something consequential happens off that record, the ability to review it later disappears: neither the parties nor a higher court can verify what was decided or why. That is why judicial conduct rules are strict even where no one acted in bad faith.
Here is the point worth keeping: the sanction did not come from ruling in favor of an immigrant, but from how the proceeding was handled. A judge may rule for a detained person; what a judge may not do is rule off the record.
What does this mean for your own hearing?
Nothing in this case changes the law or your rights, but it does illustrate three useful things when you have a state court date and a pending immigration situation.
- ICE may be present at state courthouses: practices vary by state and by moment, and litigation over courthouse arrests is ongoing. Do not assume a general rule.
- A state criminal case and an immigration case are separate proceedings: they run in different forums, with separate rules and consequences, even when the same facts connect them.
- What you say or accept in the criminal case can matter later: a seemingly minor guilty plea can become a ground of inadmissibility or deportability.
Hence the standard advice across immigration practice: if you have an open criminal case and are not a U.S. citizen, your defense lawyer and an immigration attorney should speak to each other before you accept any plea. Doing it afterward is almost always costlier and harder.
What should you have ready before any hearing?
- Arrive early and with someone: make sure a person knows where you are and when you entered the courtroom.
- Bring your documents and copies: identification, appointment notices, and any approval notice or pending application.
- Keep your attorney’s number at hand and memorized: not only saved in your phone.
- Elabora un plan familiar: a power of attorney for your children, copies of documents with a trusted relative, and a designated person to pick up the kids.
- Mantén tu dirección actualizada: Form AR-11 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Form EOIR-33 with the Immigration Court, within 10 days of any move.
Protege tu situación migratoria con el bufete de abogados Campos
This case took eight years to close. People walking into a hearing tomorrow do not have that time, and what often decides the outcome is a conversation that happened — or did not happen — before they entered the room.
At Campos Law Firm we coordinate criminal defense and immigration strategy so one does not destroy the other, and we explain in advance what to expect from each hearing. We do not make unrealistic promises. We provide serious legal representation backed by preparation and integrity.
No dejes tu situación migratoria al azar. Llámanos hoy mismo al +1 (844) 922-6767 para concertar una consulta gratuita y confidencial en inglés o en español. Bufete de Abogados Campos: soluciones jurídicas en todas las áreas del derecho.
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