Crimmigration Beyond the Headlines: The Board of Immigration Appeals’ Quiet Expansion of the Meaning of Moral Turpitude

“Crimes involving moral turpitude” (CIMTs) comprise one category of criminal convictions can lead to deportation, detention, and disqualification from immigration relief. Courts have looked to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to define the scope of moral turpitude. However, a series of recent BIA decisions suggests that the Board has expanded the definition of moral turpitude in ways that defy common sense and undermine the prevailing methodology for assessing the immigration consequences of crime.