Under INA §212(a)(2)(A)(i), the government has a powerful tool: the ability to deem an applicant inadmissible without a single day in criminal court, based solely on an admission to a crime involving moral turpitude, a controlled substance violation, or the essential factual elements of either. Our panel of experts will provide an overview of how to dissect these alleged admissions, hold the government to its strict procedural burdens, and leverage federal case law to protect clients from life-altering findings of inadmissibility. 

Featured Topics

• Procedural burden and requirements under Matter of K–
• Handling broad interview questions—e.g., “Have you ever committed a crime for which you were not arrested?”
• Statutory bars and critical exceptions (conduct of minors)
• Strategies for challenging consular findings of inadmissibility when officers rely on the applicant's statements—i.e., coercion, misunderstanding, or entrapment
• The impact of previous criminal court acquittals or dismissals in preventing inadmissibility findings that stem from subsequent admissions
• Utilizing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to verify if the procedural steps of Matter of K– were followed

Faculty

*Russell Abrutyn (DL), Southfield, MI

*Aaron Hall, AILA EOIR Liaison Committee Chair, Aurora, CO

*Cory Forman, New York, NY

*Aaron B. Lawee, Chicago, IL

CLE Credit

Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.

Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.

AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org. 

• AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
• Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
• The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.

To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided by December 17, 2026 via My CLE. CLE certificates will be available for download the day after the deadline reporting date.

AILA Membership Benefit

AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.

Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.

Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.