Reading Room Document

Authority of the Attorney General to Grant Discretionary Relief from Deportation Under Section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as Amended by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996

The amendment of section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act by section 440(d) of the Antiterronsm and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 deprived the Attorney General of the authority to grant discretionary relief from deportation for aliens who committed certain crimes. Section 440(d) applies to section 212(c) applications for discretionary relief pending on the effective date of AEDPA. The OLC does not provide release dates for its opinions, so the release date listed is the date on which the opinion was authored. The original opinion is available at www.justice.gov/file/19856/download.

February 21, 1997