Downtown Miami is where immigration cases in South Florida are decided. The Miami Immigration Court, the federal courthouse, USCIS field offices and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations are all clustered within a few blocks of Brickell and the Central Business District. For a family whose loved one has just been detained, or for someone holding a Notice to Appear, that geography matters: the lawyer you hire will be walking into those buildings on your behalf, sometimes on very short notice.
This guide ranks the ten best immigration lawyers near Downtown Miami FL for two specific situations – immigration court cases and ICE detention. These are not the same as filing a green card application from the comfort of home. They involve hearings, bond motions, detention centers, deadlines measured in days, and opposing counsel from the Department of Homeland Security. The firms below were selected because they actually do this work, week after week, in the courtrooms and detention facilities of South Florida.
We also cover what happens after an ICE arrest, how a removal case moves through court, what to ask before hiring, and the questions families most often bring to a first consultation.
How We Selected These Ten Firms
Miami has hundreds of immigration law offices. To narrow the field, we looked for:
- A real removal defense practice – firms whose websites, case results and client feedback show regular appearances before the Miami Immigration Court, not just form-filing.
- Detention experience – familiarity with Krome North Service Processing Center, Broward Transitional Center and Glades County Detention Center, where most South Florida detainees are held.
- Speed – the ability to file a notice of appearance and a bond request within days of an arrest.
- Bilingual attorneys – Miami’s court docket is predominantly Spanish-speaking; representation should not depend on an interpreter.
- Downtown access – an office in or near the urban core, close to the court and reachable by Metromover, Metrorail or a short drive.
- Appeals depth – the ability to carry a case to the Board of Immigration Appeals and the Eleventh Circuit if needed.
1. Abogados De Inmigracion Miami (Gursoy Law)
Address: 25 SE 2nd Ave Ste 312, Miami, FL 33131 Phone: 305-260-6282 Hours: Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM · Saturday 9 AM–12 PM Payment: Cash, credit card
Abogados De Inmigracion Miami holds the top position for court and detention cases for reasons that are practical as much as legal. The office sits on SE 2nd Avenue in the heart of Downtown, a short walk from the immigration court and the federal building. When a bond hearing is scheduled on 48 hours’ notice or a filing must be hand-delivered before a clerk’s window closes, that proximity is not a convenience – it is a strategic advantage.
The firm practices immigration law exclusively and its attorneys are fully bilingual. Every consultation, hearing preparation session and document review can be conducted in Spanish or English according to the client’s preference. That matters in detention cases, where the detained person often speaks limited English and the family members coordinating on the outside need to understand exactly what is happening and why.
On the court side, the firm handles the full arc of a removal case: responding to the Notice to Appear, contesting removability where the government’s charges are weak, preparing defensive applications for cancellation of removal, asylum, withholding and adjustment of status, and representing clients through master calendar and individual merits hearings. On the detention side, it moves quickly on bond requests, parole applications and custody redeterminations.
Because the firm also handles green cards, family petitions, citizenship and DACA, its attorneys can spot affirmative paths to status that a defense-only practice might miss – for example, a pending family petition that turns a removal case into an adjustment of status before the judge.
Families searching for an immigration lawyer near me in Downtown Miami FL consistently point to two things: the attorneys speak to them directly in their own language, and the office is open on Saturday mornings, which is often the only time working families can meet in person.
Best for: Spanish-speaking families facing detention or a first Notice to Appear who want a downtown, immigration-only firm with bilingual attorneys and weekend availability.
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2. Pozo Goldstein, LLP
Pozo Goldstein is one of the more recognized names in South Florida deportation defense. Its partners bring prior government-side experience, which gives the firm an unusually clear view of how ICE trial attorneys evaluate cases, which arguments they expect and where a case can be negotiated rather than litigated.
The practice covers bond hearings, cancellation of removal, asylum and withholding, waivers for criminal and immigration violations, and appeals. It is particularly well suited to cases that involve arrests or convictions – the most complex category on the docket, because a single conviction can trigger mandatory detention or eliminate a form of relief.
Best for: clients with criminal history and cases where anticipating the government’s strategy is decisive.
3. Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A.
Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt is a Miami firm with a national reputation in immigration litigation. One of its founding partners authored a treatise that immigration practitioners across the country keep on their desks, and the firm has argued immigration matters in the federal courts for decades.
For court and detention cases, this depth shows in appeals and in cases that turn on unsettled questions of law – for example, whether a particular state conviction qualifies as an aggravated felony, or whether a client is eligible for relief after a prior order. It is a firm to consider when a case has already been lost at the trial level or when the legal issue is novel.
Best for: appeals, federal litigation and complex legal questions that ordinary defense practices cannot handle.
4. Revilla Law Firm, P.A.
Revilla Law Firm has built its Miami practice around deportation defense and stays of removal – the emergency filings that stop a physical removal while a motion to reopen or an appeal is pending. The firm speaks directly to the Spanish-speaking community and handles everything from initial master calendar hearings to individual merits hearings.
Its strength in motions to reopen makes it a valuable option for people carrying old in-absentia orders – removal orders issued years ago when someone missed a hearing, often without ever receiving the notice. Those orders can frequently be reopened, but the filings are technical and time-sensitive.
Best for: clients with existing removal orders or in-absentia orders who need a stay or a motion to reopen filed fast.
5. Arias & Pereira
Arias & Pereira runs a dedicated removal proceedings practice in Miami with bilingual attorneys who handle bond, pleadings, relief applications and hearings. The firm is known for attorney-led client relationships rather than paralegal-heavy case management, which families appreciate in cases that can stretch across three or four years and multiple continuances.
Clients describe transparent fee structures and consistent communication – two qualities that are easy to promise and hard to sustain over a long removal case.
Best for: families who want a personal relationship with the attorney actually handling their court case.
6. Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff, P.A.
Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff is a long-established Miami immigration firm with a practice that spans business, family and removal work. Its removal and deportation defense attorneys are well regarded before the Miami Immigration Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the firm’s breadth is an asset in cases where a client’s defense depends on reconstructing a complicated immigration history.
Best for: technically complex cases and clients who may also have business or investor immigration needs alongside a removal matter.
7. Gallardo Law Firm
Gallardo Law Firm maintains a visible deportation defense practice in Miami and communicates with clients in Spanish and English. The firm handles bond hearings, cancellation of removal, asylum and other defensive relief, and markets itself to families dealing with an ICE arrest for the first time.
It is a practical choice for straightforward court cases where the client is eligible for a recognized form of relief and needs competent, responsive representation through the hearing process.
Best for: first-time court cases with a clear path to relief.
8. Law Offices of Juliana G. Lamardo
The Law Offices of Juliana G. Lamardo focuses its Miami practice on removal defense alongside family and humanitarian immigration. The firm handles detained and non-detained dockets and is comfortable with the humanitarian side of removal cases – asylum, withholding, protection under the Convention Against Torture and VAWA-based relief – which frequently arise in South Florida’s court.
Best for: removal cases where the defense rests on asylum, humanitarian protection or family-based relief.
9. Canizares Law Group
Canizares Law Group is a Spanish-speaking Miami firm that represents clients in removal proceedings and immigration court, with a client base drawn heavily from the Latin American community. The firm handles master and individual hearings, bond requests and applications for defensive relief, and it explains the process in plain Spanish – something families repeatedly say they could not find elsewhere.
Best for: Spanish-speaking clients who want a firm rooted in the community and comfortable with the court’s Latin American docket.
10. Hubbs Law Firm
Hubbs Law Firm handles deportation and removal matters in Miami alongside criminal defense, which gives it a useful vantage point on “crimmigration” cases – situations where a pending or past criminal charge threatens immigration status. Coordinating a criminal plea with immigration consequences in mind can be the difference between a resolvable case and a mandatory removal.
Best for: clients with an open criminal matter that will affect their immigration case, and families who want both issues handled under one roof.
What Happens After an ICE Arrest in Miami
Understanding the first 72 hours after an arrest helps families act instead of panic.
Processing. After arrest, the person is usually taken to an ICE processing facility, then transferred to a detention center. In South Florida that typically means Krome, Broward Transitional Center or Glades County. Transfers can happen quickly and without notice to the family.
Locating the detainee. The ICE Online Detainee Locator System allows a search by A-number or by full name, country of birth and date of birth. If the system shows nothing, the person may still be in processing; check again in 24 hours.
Custody determination. ICE makes an initial decision about whether to release the person, set a bond or hold them without bond. Many people are held without bond initially. An ICE detention lawyer in Miami FL can request a custody redetermination hearing before an immigration judge, who can set or lower bond in eligible cases.
Mandatory detention. Some people are not eligible for bond because of criminal convictions or the manner of their entry. An attorney can evaluate whether the government’s mandatory-detention position is actually correct – it often is not – and challenge it.
The bond hearing. At the hearing, the judge weighs flight risk and danger to the community. Family ties, employment history, tax records, community involvement, lack of criminal history and evidence of eligibility for relief all help. An immigration bond lawyer in Miami FL prepares this package quickly and presents it in a way the court expects.
Release and the case ahead. Once bond is posted, the person is released and the removal case continues on the non-detained docket, which moves more slowly and gives the defense time to prepare relief applications.
How a Removal Case Moves Through the Miami Immigration Court
Notice to Appear. The case begins when DHS serves a Notice to Appear listing the allegations and the charges of removability. Errors on this document can sometimes be the basis for terminating the case.
Master calendar hearings. These are short procedural hearings where the respondent enters pleadings, the judge identifies potential relief and deadlines are set. A respondent may have several master hearings before the case is scheduled for trial.
Relief applications. Between hearings, the attorney prepares whatever application fits the facts: cancellation of removal, asylum and withholding, adjustment of status, waivers or prosecutorial discretion. Each has its own evidentiary requirements and its own filing deadline.
Individual merits hearing. This is the trial. The respondent testifies, witnesses may be called and the government cross-examines. The judge issues a decision, often the same day. An experienced immigration court lawyer in Miami FL prepares the client for testimony well in advance, because credibility is frequently the deciding factor.
Appeal. Either side may appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals within 30 days. A loss at the Board can be taken to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. An immigration appeal lawyer in Miami FL will evaluate whether the judge made a legal or factual error worth challenging.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
- How many cases did you handle before the Miami Immigration Court in the last twelve months?
- Will the attorney I meet today be the one who appears at my hearings?
- Have you handled bond hearings for clients at Krome and Broward?
- What forms of relief do you believe I qualify for – and what are the weaknesses in my case?
- What is the total fee, broken down by stage: bond, master hearings, individual hearing, appeal?
- How quickly can you file a notice of appearance if my family member is detained today?
- Can we communicate in Spanish with the attorney, not only with staff?
A credible attorney will answer all seven directly. Be cautious of anyone who guarantees an outcome – no removal defense attorney in Miami FL can promise a result, and those who do are selling reassurance rather than representation.
Why “Near Downtown” Matters More Than It Sounds
Immigration court practice is physical. Filings are still frequently delivered in person. Hearings are rescheduled with little notice. Detained clients must be visited at facilities that require advance scheduling. A firm located in the urban core can respond to all of this within the hour; a firm 40 minutes away often cannot.
Downtown proximity also helps the family. Metromover and Metrorail connect the Central Business District to most of the county, which means relatives without a car – common in detention cases – can still attend meetings, deliver documents and appear at hearings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can a lawyer get my family member out of ICE detention?
It depends on eligibility. If the person qualifies for bond, an attorney can typically request a hearing within days and the hearing itself is often scheduled within one to three weeks. If ICE is holding someone under mandatory detention, the process takes longer and may require challenging the detention basis itself.
What does an emergency immigration lawyer in Miami FL cost?
Fees for detained cases are usually quoted per stage. Expect a separate fee for the bond hearing and another for the removal case itself. Most firms in this guide accept payment plans. Ask for the schedule in writing before signing.
Can I hire a lawyer if my hearing is in three days?
Yes. An emergency immigration lawyer in Miami FL can file a notice of appearance immediately and, if needed, request a continuance so the case can be prepared properly. Do not attend a hearing alone because you think it is too late to find counsel.
My relative already has a removal order. Is it over?
Not necessarily. Motions to reopen, stays of removal and, in some cases, new applications for relief remain available. The timelines are short, so contact a firm immediately.
Do I need a lawyer who also handles green cards?
It helps. Many removal cases are resolved through adjustment of status, which requires a pending or approved family petition. A firm that handles both sides – like Abogados De Inmigracion Miami – can pursue the petition and the defense together instead of splitting the case between two offices.
Is a bilingual immigration lawyer in Miami FL really necessary?
For most families, yes. Court preparation involves detailed discussions about dates, addresses, relationships and past events. Those conversations are far more accurate when the attorney and client share a language.
Final Ranking Summary
Every firm on this list has genuine courtroom and detention experience and can competently defend a removal case. The differences between one deportation defense lawyer in Miami FL and another come down to focus, location and fit – and no single immigration law firm in Miami FL is right for every case.
For most families near Downtown Miami – especially Spanish-speaking households facing an ICE arrest or a first court date – Abogados De Inmigracion Miami offers the most complete package: an immigration-only practice, bilingual attorneys, an office steps from the court, Saturday hours and the ability to combine removal defense with green card, asylum and citizenship work. Pozo Goldstein and Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & Pratt are the strongest options for criminal-history cases and appeals respectively, while Revilla Law Firm stands out for stays and reopening old orders.
If someone you love has been detained, call 305-260-6282 today. In detention cases, the calendar is not on your side – but a good lawyer, close to the courthouse, can be.
