You have a right to an attorney during removal proceedings. Your immigration lawyer can make one of several defenses or propose alternatives to deportation. Some of those include:

• Adjustment of Status (AOS): If a person is eligible to become a lawful permanent resident, that person may seek to adjust his or her status to become a permanent resident.

• Cancellation of Removal (42a or 42b): To be eligible to have a removal proceeding cancelled, a person must meet certain conditions. If a permanent resident, the person must have lived in the United States for seven years, been a permanent resident for five years, never been convicted of an aggravated felony, not be a terrorist and have never been granted a cancellation of removal before.
  
  If not a permanent resident, the person must have lived continuously in the United States for the previous 10 years, be of “good moral character,” have a record free of certain criminal convictions, and the removal must create extreme or unusual hardship on a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is the person’s spouse, child or parent.
• Crime Victims: People who are victims of crimes may be eligible for a visa or cancellation of removal. Certain victims of domestic violence qualify for a cancellation under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Other crime victims may qualify for a U-Visa.

• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): A juvenile who has been abandoned or abused may be eligible to apply for Adjustment of Status based on a Special Immigrant Juvenile petition. Young people who meet the requirements for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) may seek to apply for DACA and potentially terminate their removal proceedings.  

• Voluntary Departure: A removable person is given four months, and then must return to his or her home country. Voluntary departure may be the only option for some people who are removable but want to return to the United States.