The Law Offices of
Hall, Quintanilla & Alarcon

Gustavo T. Quintanilla, Immigration Attorney

(956) 723-5527

1302 Washington Street, Laredo TX, 78040

About Us

Gustavo T. Quintanilla – Background
Gustavo T. Quintanilla was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico on August 13, 1950. Gustavo’s interest in immigration law has been a focal point of his thirty year law career. He completed his primary studies in Mexico and continued with his secondary education and professional studies in the United States of America. Gustavo earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Masters Degrees in Criminology and Corrections from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. In 1979, he graduated from the University of Houston, Bates College of Law with a Doctorate Degree in Jurisprudence. From 1979 to 1984, he was employed with the Webb County District Attorney’s office and attained the position of First Assistant District Attorney. Since 1984, Gustavo has been a partner/member in the Law Offices of Hall, Quintanilla, and Alarcon, in Laredo, Texas, where he specializes in the practice of immigration law.

DEFERRED ACTION PROCESS

Effective June 15, 2012, certain young persons who were brought to the United States through no fault of their own as young children and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or entered into removal proceedings. Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal.

Only those individuals who can prove through verifiable documentation that they meet these criteria will be eligible for deferred action. Individuals will not be eligible if they are not currently in the United States and cannot prove that they have been physically present in the United States for a continuous period of not less than 5 years immediately preceding June 15, 2012. The use of prosecutorial discretion confers no substantive right or pathway to citizenship. Only the Congress, acting through its legislative authority, can confer these rights.

While this guidance takes effect immediately, USCIS and ICE expect to begin implementation of the application processes within sixty days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to receive deferred action under the Department’s new directive?
Pursuant to the Secretary’s June 15, 2012 memorandum, in order to be eligible for deferred action, individuals must:

  1. Have come to the United States under the age of sixteen;
  2. Have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding June 15, 2012 and are present in the United States on June 15, 2012;
  3. Currently be in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;
  4. Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
  5. Not be above the age of thirty.

Individuals must also complete a background check and, for those individuals who make a request to USCIS and are not subject to a final order of removal, must be 15 years old or older.

What is deferred action?
Deferred action is a discretionary determination to defer removal action of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion. Deferred action does not confer lawful status upon an individual. In addition, although an alien granted deferred action will not be considered to be accruing unlawful presence in the United States during the period deferred action is in effect, deferred action does not absolve individuals of any previous or subsequent periods of unlawful presence.

Under existing regulations, an individual who has been granted deferred action is eligible to receive employment authorization for the period of deferred action, provided he or she can demonstrate “an economic necessity for employment.” Deferred action can be terminated at any time at the agency’s discretion or renewed by the agency.

USMCA/NAFTA Qualified

Gustavo is a pioneer NAFTA immigration practitioner in Laredo, Texas. In 1994 he became the first attorney in the busiest inland port in the nation to obtain approvals of investor’s, Treaty Trader and TN professional visas pursuant to the North American Free Trade Agreement, (NAFTA).

Employment Visas

Gustavo dedicates a major part of his immigration practice to processing employment-based, non-immigrant and immigrant visas for E-1 businesspersons and E-2 Investors H-1B professionals as well as L-1, L-2, intra-company executives, managers, supervisors and employees who possess specialized or proprietary knowledge.

Trade and Investment Immigration

Since 1998, Gustavo and The Law Firm, Hall Quintanilla and Alarcon have represented the Association of Forwarding Agents of Laredo, (ALFA), whose 200 members are Licensed Mexican Customs House Brokers in the areas of Laredo, Texas, and Colombia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. During this time, Gustavo has represented countless individual members of (ALFA), and of its affiliate association, the Asociación de Agentes Aduanales of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Gustavo also renders immigration services to entrepreneurs who engaged in various investment ventures.

Family Based Petitions

Gustavo’s immigration practice includes family-based immigration for immediate relatives, and all other family preference categories, adjustment of status, multiple entry parole permits, and employment authorization documents for qualified petitioners.

Related areas of his practice include:

Professional Affiliations

Licenses