I stood in a South Florida courtroom awaiting a verdict for my client, Julio.

We were about to learn whether he’d be deported to his native Mexico or remain here with his American-born wife and five American kids. One outcome would send Julio (whose name I have changed) back to the gangs he had fled 23 years earlier. The other would return him to his family, construction job and church. There, he would be able to finally meet his five-month-old son, born while he sat in a faraway ICE detention center.

Andre Mckenney is an immigration lawyer in Hollywood, Fla. (courtesy, Andre Mckenney)

Julio’s chances were not great. He had a 20-year-old DUI on his record, though he had been sober two decades. Plus, immigrants who must fight their deportation cases from detention are more than twice as likely to be deported, according to a new report by the American Immigration Council.

In some jurisdictions, detained immigrants are deported more than 90% of the time, for many reasons.

Detention centers have expanded rapidly under the Trump administration, and with speed has come insufficient staffing and little oversight.

The law mandates that anyone represented by an attorney must be allowed to maintain access to them. But family members and attorneys routinely struggle to reach detained loved ones and clients by phone. Sometimes, it would take more than 24 hours to reach Julio, or our meeting would suddenly be canceled at the last minute without explanation.

The online system lawyers use to track detained clients is increasingly unreliable. People are frequently transferred without notice. One person recently arrested in Florida was transferred 15 times back and forth between two detention facilities in Florida, three in Arizona, three in California and one in Hawaii.

Julio’s previous lawyer was so pessimistic about his chances that he suggested Julio self-deport. But I believe in due process; it’s the premise of our legal system.

It’s also hard to see a father cry, as Julio did, when he saw photos of the newborn he had never met. From that moment, I knew I had to fight with all I had for Julio to be reunited with his family.

One thing gave me hope: knowing that legal counsel can change everything for immigrants in detention.

Clients in deportation cases do not have a constitutional right to legal representation. But if they can secure a lawyer, immigrants are almost twice as likely to win. Between 2019 and 2024, nearly 62% of immigrants without legal counsel were deported, versus only 27% of those who had a lawyer, according to the Council.

It would be devastating for Julio’s family to be torn apart. His two youngest children have serious medical conditions that require near-constant care.

The family needs his love and support, as well as his income. When I first met him, he was so proud of the life he had built for his family in South Florida. I found it hard to understand why the government wanted to deport him and so many others like him.

In Florida alone, daily ICE arrests have tripled from last year. But fewer than 10% of people held in immigration detention have a serious criminal conviction — a staggering statistic.

That day in the courtroom, we both held our breath as the immigration judge read his decision: Julio had won.

After six months in detention, he could go home. I couldn’t believe it. But it was real. And it was likely that my work on his behalf had moved the needle just enough to save Julio and his family from devastation.

Not that I’m so special, but I have skills and a commitment to the basic principles of our judicial system. That goes for most immigration attorneys.

Julio is no aberration. He’s a human being — flawed in some ways, but essentially a good person, father and friend, like all of us. I urge my fellow attorneys, esteemed judges, even ICE agents to keep this in mind.

Julio called recently and I could hear his two youngest children laughing in the background.

Like many in America now, I often feel like there’s little I can do to make a difference, but in that moment, I knew these small wins matter. One person went home to his family. Maybe tomorrow, one more will, too. We can’t give up, even when all feels lost.

Andre Mckenney is an immigration lawyer in Hollywood, Fla., and founder of TCB Legacy Law.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/02/10/winning-a-deportation-case-restored-my-faith-opinion/