The HMA Law FirM
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Click here to book with Hassan M. Ahmad, Esq.
Phone: +1(703) 964-0245
Fax: +1(703) 997-8556
Bar Admissions:
Maryland (2002)
Virginia (2012)
Court Admissions:
US District Court, District of Maryland (2004)
US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2006)
US District Court, District of Columbia (2010)
US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (2013)
US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (2013)
Supreme Court of the United States (2015)
US District Court, Western District of Virginia (2017)
Memberships:
American Immigration Lawyers Association (2005)
Virginia State Bar (2012)
National Immigration Project (2012)
Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2012)
Federal Bar Association (2015)
Education:
Tulane Law School, JD, 2000
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, BA, 1996
Publications
Crimmigration Primer: The Collateral Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions in Virginia, VACLE, July 2015
A Complete and Total Ban: Placing the Muslim Ban in Historical Context, (co-authored with Mark Shmueli, Esq.) The Federal Lawyer, May 2017
Published Cases
U.S. v. Sonmez, 777 F.3d 684 (4th Cir. 2015)
Organizations”
Capital Area Muslim Bar Association, President (2016)
Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Board Member (2016 – )
Virginia Asian Advisory Board, Board Member (2017 – 2019)
Dulles Justice Coalition, Board Member (2017 – )
Belady US, Board Member (2017)
Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Member (2017 – 2018)
Virginia Office of New Americans Advisory Board, Member (2020 – )
Seminars/Speaking Engagements
VACLE, “The Collateral Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions in Virginia,” Charlottesville, VA (Jul 2015)
Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, “Using Immigration to Grow Your Business,” McLean, VA (Nov 2015)
Various Community Groups, “The Path to Naturalization,” Sterling, VA (Apr 1, 2016)
Federal Bar Association, Immigration Law Section, “Litigation Before the Federal Courts of Appeal“, New Orleans, LA (May 13, 2016)
University of the District of Columbia School of Law, “Trends in Immigration Law,” Washington, DC (Oct 20, 2016)
University of Maryland School of Law, “Immigration Issues In The 2016 Election,” Baltimore, MD (Oct 27, 2016)
American Immigration Lawyers Assoc., DC Chapter, Fall Conference, “Cases Stuck at USCIS: Strategies,” Rockville, MD (Nov 17, 2016)
All Dulles Area Muslim Society, “Muslim Ban: Know Your Rights” Sterling, VA (Feb 2, 2017)
Truman National Security Project, “Trump’s Immigration Executive Orders” Washington, DC (Feb 6, 2017)
Islamic Society of Baltimore, “American Muslims: Know Your Rights” Baltimore, MD (Feb 10, 2017)
American Anti-Arab Discrimination Committee, “Deep Dive Into Muslim Ban 2.0” Washington, DC (Mar 8, 2017)
Harvard Islamic Society, “Protecting Our People” Cambridge, MA (Apr 12, 2017)
Virginia Tech, “America for Whom? Migration Policy, Scholarship, Advocacy & Activism,” Blacksburg, VA (via web) (Apr 21, 2017)
VA Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Perriello, “Immigration Roundtable,” Alexandria, VA (May 10, 2017) [Moderator]
South Asian Bar Association National Convention, “Immigration Changes and Impact in Light of New Administration,” Washington, DC (Jul 14, 2017)
American Immigration Lawyers Assoc., DC Chapter, “Advising Clients After DACA Rescission,“ Webinar (Sep 18, 2017)
Council on American Islamic Relations, Community Town Hall: Updates on Muslim Ban 3.0″ Falls Church, VA (Oct 5, 2017)
VACLE: Immigration Law For Family Lawyers, 36th Annual Family Law Conference, Norfolk, VA (Oct 10, 2017)
Institute for Policy Studies, Muslim Ban 3.0 and the Legacy of Institutionalized Islamophobia, Washington, DC (Oct 12, 2017)
National Association of Muslim Lawyers, Immigration Practice Strategies in a Trump Administration, Chicago, IL (Oct 14, 2017)
VACLE: Removal Defenses 101 (with attorney Anam Rahman) Charlottesville, VA (Jun 19, 2018)
Hassan is the founder and principal of the HMA Law Firm. He built the firm on one simple idea: Prosperity comes from protection and perseverance. The firm lives out this mantra every day. Under Hassan’s leadership, legal knowledge and skill is leveraged to fight for clients’ rights, sticking with the process no matter how long it takes, so that clients can live their lives not just peacefully, but with prosperity.
Hassan is fluent or proficient in eight languages besides English, giving his clients comfort when telling their stories. His perspective on immigration as a means to prosperity is borne from his belief in unity in diversity, advising nationals of 117 countries around the world for nearly 20 years, and counting.
As a lawyer, Hassan also has a strong background in criminal defense. He maintains a niche practice in “crimmigration” – the immigration consequences of criminal activity. Hassan also focuses much of his practice on defending against deportation, and devotes over a third of his practice to matters of asylum law. He litigates immigration cases in federal court, and does not shy away from the tough cases, whether in matters of family immigration, business, or citizenship. He is a regular invited speaker and writer on immigration, with a unique ability to explain legal concepts through client stories. He is frequently quoted in local and national media.
Hassan firmly believes that serving clients means not only direct representation, but also advocating for their interests before lawmakers, and informing them of what his clients are actually going through. Using his language abilities (fluent or proficient in 8 languages besides English) he relates his clients’ stories to legislators, governors, and policy makers, state and national. This advocacy was one reason he was appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to serve on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board, helping advise the Governor on issues facing the AAPI community and beyond, as well as the Commonwealth Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It is why he also served on the board of the Dulles Justice Coalition, the group of airport lawyers who represented clients in the wake of President Trump’s Muslim ban, and as a board member of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrants’ Rights. Hassan took these ideas onto the campaign trail in 2019, coming in second in the Commonwealth’s most competitive 4-way primary for the House of Delegates D-87 seat. It is why he takes on anti-immigrant groups who see immigrants as un-American, and is not afraid to expose their hateful rhetoric for what it is, challenging them in the media, on the Hill, and connecting with veteran advocates to amplify his efforts. Hassan currently serves on the first-ever Virginia Office of New Americans Advisory Board, helping formulate state-level policies to welcome future citizens.
Hassan holds a law degree from Tulane Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana. While in law school, he clerked for a high-profile New Orleans firm where he learned and was trained in a considerable variety of legal fields, ranging from personal injury to commercial litigation to medical malpractice.
Prior to his career as a lawyer, Hassan was a successful and motivational teacher. He taught Urdu and Hindi at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and also taught high school classes in religion and law. He maintained a career as a real estate sales agent in North Carolina.
Recent Media Mentions
Latin Times, Republican Governors Refuse Syrian Refugees: Is This Legal? (Nov. 18, 2015)
Hoy Dallas, Governors Refusing Refugees Is An Illegal Overstep (Nov. 19, 2015, co-authored with Humza Kazmi) [Op-Ed]
International Business Times, Refugees Not Welcome? As Syrian Immigration Debate Rages, Asylum Seekers In The US Fear For Their Future (Nov. 19, 2015)
Redirect: Immigration Law & Perspectives, Syrian Refugees and American Xenophobia (Nov. 20, 2015) [Podcast]
Muslim Matters, A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day in Trumpland (And What You Can Do About It) (Nov 20, 2016)
Montgomery County Sentinel, County Council backs Syrian refugees (Dec. 3, 2015)
O.C. Register, Trump Reveals Ignorance of Immigration Process (Dec. 11, 2015, co-authored with Humza Kazmi) [Op-Ed]
Counterpunch, Visa Waiver Program Needs No Overhaul (Dec. 11, 2015) [Op-Ed]
Counterpunch, DHS Immigration Raids Reverse Policy of Deporting Felons, Not Families (Jan. 6, 2016) [Op-Ed]
The Progressive, Homeland Security Targets Asylum Seekers (Jan. 7, 2016) [Op-Ed]
Latin Times, Can Donald Trump’s Immigration Proposals Bring Latinos and Muslims Together? This Lawyer Thinks It’s Time for an Alliance (Jan 8, 2016) [Op-Ed]
Buzzfeed, Welcome to America – Now Spy On Your Friends (Jan 26, 2016)
CNN Money, Trump’s modeling agency broke immigration laws, attorneys say, (Mar 10, 2016)
NY Daily News, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz’s anti-immigration plan stalls GOP drive for key Hispanic vote in presidential election, (Apr 16, 2016)
VA Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Commentary after Attending Oral Arguments in Texas v. US, Supreme Court of the United States, (Apr 18, 2016) [Video]
Qué Pasa, La Corte Suprema estaría dividida sobre el caso de DAPA y DACA, (Jun 10, 2016)
The Washington Post, The Orlando shooter, Donald Trump and the wave of hatred gripping our country, (Jun 13, 2016)
BBC News, US Election: Who Will Be Banned Under Trump’s Immigration Plan? (Aug 15, 2016)
The Hill, Rethinking Deportation (Sep 7, 2016) [Op-Ed]
ILW, Rethinking Deportation (Sep 8, 2016) [Expanded Op-Ed]
The Hill, Vulnerable Immigrants Still Have Time To Prepare for Trump (Nov 16, 2016) [Op-Ed]
The Hill, Muslims Don’t Need Your ‘Solidarity’ to Face Trump – We Need Action (Nov 21, 2016) [Op-Ed]
Courthouse News Service, Experts Sketch Future of Trump Immigration Reform (Nov 30, 2016)
ILW, A Glimpse of Kris Kobach Immigration Plan (Dec 1, 2016) [Op-Ed]
Latino Rebels, The Time Is Now to Fight Against a New Muslim Registry (Dec 26, 2016) [Op-Ed]
Huffington Post, Attorneys Warn Immigrants Not To Travel Outside The U.S., Thanks To Trump (Jan 26, 2017)
Islamic Monthly, Lawyering in Dulles for Detainees: A First-Hand Account (Jan 27, 2017)
Courthouse News Service, Trump Signs Executive Order for Extreme Vetting of Refugees (Jan 27, 2017)
Loudoun Times-Mirror, More: At Dulles, Hundreds Protest President Trump’s Immigration Order (Jan 28, 2017)
Teen Vogue, How Immigrants and Refugees Can Protect Their Rights During Trump’s Muslim Ban (Jan 29, 2017)
Daily Beast, Feds Blow Off Judge and Congressmen to Enforce Trump’s Orders at Dulles (Jan 30, 2017)
Courthouse News Service, Lawyers Clamor for Access to Travelers Detained Under Muslim Ban (Jan 30, 2017)
Daily Beast, Did DHS Bully Immigrants Into Signing Away Their Rights? (Jan 31, 2017)
ILW, Protecting Due Process (Feb 1, 2017) [Op-Ed]
UPI, After Trump order, Syrian family endures anguish of changing rules (Feb 2, 2017)
TRT World, How Trump’s Travel Ban Tears Families Apart (Feb 3, 2017) [Video]
East Bay Times, Live Video Chat: Trump’s Travel Ban (Feb 6, 2017) [Video]
Teen Vogue, Immigration Agents Reportedly Arrested as Many as 100 People in California (Feb 10, 2017)
Yahoo News, Khizr Khan joins immigration lawyers at Dulles Airport (Mar 3, 2017)
Voice of America (Urdu Desk), بین الاقوامی مسافروں کے لیے رضاکار وکیل (Lawyers Ready to Help International Travelers) (Mar 3, 2017) [Video]
Washington Post, Virginia AG: ‘New Trump travel ban admits original was flawed‘ (Mar 6, 2017)
East Bay Times, Discussion On The New Travel Ban (Mar 9, 2017) [Video]
Voice of America, Analysis: Trump Wants More Data on Immigrants, Crime, Terror to Feed Policies (Mar 10, 2017)
NorthJersey.com, Trump zeros in on immigrant crime, hoping to build support (Mar 11, 2017)
Latino Rebels, Trump’s New Travel Ban Gives Immigration Enforcers Unfettered Power to Do Whatever They Want (Mar 12, 2017) [Op-Ed]
The Hill, The Problem With ‘Rigorously Enforced’ Immigration Law (Mar 14, 2017) [Op-Ed]
The Daily Beast, Trump Practically Begs Judges to Keep KO’ing His New Travel Ban (Mar 15, 2017)
Latino Rebels, The New Trump List of ICE’s Declined Detainers and Sample Crimes Is Just Xenophobic Propaganda (Mar 29, 2017)
The Daily Beast, In Trump’s America, Immigrants Can Follow the Rules and Still Get Arrested (Apr 10, 2017) [Op-Ed]
The Daily Beast, This ICE Informant is About To Get Deported (May 8, 2017)
Latino Rebels, We’re Suing To Compel Release of the Tanton Papers (June 6, 2017)
The Daily Beast, Did Team Trump Make Its Own Travel Ban Obsolete? (June 7, 2017)
Ann Arbor News, University of Michigan sued over anti-immigration activist’s records, (June 20, 2017)
Reuters, WTOP, Future unclear for Burundi teens who disappeared from DC (Jul 21, 2017)
The Daily Beast, Trump’s DHS Ordered Agents to Block Congressmen During Travel Ban (Aug 2, 2017)
Patriot Not Partisan, Why You Need To Know Dr. John Tanton, Grandfather Of The Anti-Immigrant Movement (Aug 15, 2017) [Op-Ed]
Patriot Not Partisan, #DACApolypse: What Dreamers Can Do After The Demise of DACA (Sep 6, 2017) [Op-Ed]
Chicago Reporter, Is This What a Legal Muslim Ban Looks Like? (Sep 25, 2017) [Op-Ed]
Patriot Not Partisan, Using Immigration Policy to Create Solidarity (Sep 27, 2017) [Op-Ed]
The Hill, This is How an Immigrant Can Enter Trump’s America (Oct 9, 2017) [Op-Ed]
Detroit Free Press, University of Michigan Blocks Release of Hot-Button Records of Anti-Immigrant Leader (Oct 17, 2017)
Michigan Daily, Bentley Library faces lawsuit over access to anti-immigration activist’s documents (Oct 18, 2017)
Patriot Not Partisan, #MuslimBan3 Blocked: FAQ (Oct 24, 2017) [Op-Ed]
Teen Vogue, What Trump’s Latest Refugee Order Really Means (Oct 26, 2017)
Daily Beast, The Kafkaesque Hell of Being an Iranian Dissident Trying to Come to America (Jan 3, 2018)
Patriot Not Partisan, Termination of TPS For El Salvador (Jan 10, 2018) [Op-Ed]
Univision, ¿Qué quiere decir Trump cuando habla de acabar con la ‘migración en cadena’? (Jan 15, 2018)
Think Progress, The Week the Country United Against Trump’s Xenophobia (Jan 27, 2018)
Washington Post, Trump Praises Some Refugees But Remains Wary Of Others (Jan 31, 2018)
Patriot Not Partisan, Jeff Sessions Is Rewriting The Immigration Law…By Himself (Mar 9, 2018) [Op-Ed]
Huffington Post, Jeff Sessions Has Power To Shape Asylum Policy. He Could Be Gearing Up To Use It To Deny Relief To Domestic Violence Victims. (Mar 14, 2018)
Morning Dose, Future of DACA Program In Question, (Apr 3, 2018) [Video]
Splinter News, The Eugenicist Doctor and the Vast Fortune Behind Trump’s Immigration Regime (Jul 5, 2018)
Quartz, A Quiet Change in US Policy Threatens Immigrants Who Apply for a Change in Status (Jul 7, 2018) [Op-Ed]
Quartz, America’s Broken Immigration System is Tearing Indian Families Apart (Jul 12, 2018)
CNN, Visa Policy Change Will Make it Easier for Trump Administration to Deny Applications (Jul 17, 2018)
Bloomberg News, Foreign Tech Workers Face Higher Hurdles in Visa Applications (Jul 18, 2018)
ThinkProgress, Latino Voters Say They’re Key to Flipping One of the Country’s Most Competitive Districts (Jul 26, 2018)
Quartz, Ask an immigration lawyer: Is Trump good for business? (Aug 9, 2018) [Op-Ed]
Michigan Radio, Suit seeks anti-immigration documents from UM (Aug 15, 2018)
Detroit News, Lawyer fights UM to see immigration foe’s papers (Aug 15, 2018)
America’s Voice, As Events This Week Prove, Anti-Immigrant Hate Groups Are in Control With the Trump Administration (Aug 15, 2018)
Detroit Free Press, Anti-immigrant leader focus of 10 secret boxes at U-M library (Aug 16, 2018)
People, Immigration Lawyers Offer Advice to Hispanic U.S. Citizens Being Denied Passports Near the Border (Aug 30, 2018)
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Trump targets Latinos at the border now, but who’s next? (Aug 31, 2018)
Daily Beast, University Fights to Keep Anti-Immigration Leader John Tanton’s Papers Secret (Sep 2, 2018)
Quartz, In three months, H-1B spouses may end up jobless—again (Sep 24, 2018)
Mother Jones, Two Years Ago, This Immigration Lawyer Marched on an Airport. Today, He’s Running for State House. (Jan 28, 2019)
Washington Post, Hundreds show up for immigration-court hearings that turn out not to exist (Jan 31, 2019)
Quartz, What does Trump’s “merit-based” immigration plan mean for Indians? (May 21, 2019)
Potomac Local, Hassan Ahmad fights for criminal justice reform in House of Delegates run (May 22, 2019)
WAMU, Voters Get Ready For ‘One Of The Most Diverse Tickets Virginia Has Ever Seen’ (Jun 6, 2019)
Washington Post, In this suburban Democratic primary, all 4 candidates are first-generation Americans (Jun 7, 2019)
Washington Post, With White House threatening mass raids, undocumented immigrants try to stay out of sight (Jun 20, 2019)
Detroit News, Appeals court rules against UM in bid to keep immigration foe’s documents private (Jun 21, 2019)
Detroit Free Press, Appeals Court favors release of University of Michigan records of anti-immigrant leader (Jul 6, 2019)
Detroit Free Press, Anti-immigrant leader Dr. John Tanton of Michigan dies at 85 (Jul 18, 2019)
Los Angeles Times, John Tanton, quiet architect of America’s modern-day anti-immigrant movement, dies at 85 (Jul 18, 2019)
Washington Post, John Tanton, architect of anti-immigration and English-only efforts, dies at 85 (Jul 21, 2019)
Slate, The Godfather of the Anti-Immigration Movement
How a small-town eye doctor shaped our most hard-line immigration policies (Jul 29, 2019)
Michigan Daily, Petition demands ‘U’ release documents of anti-immigration advocate (Sep 11, 2019)
The Intercept, With Trump in Office, Newspapers Increasingly Quoted Anti-Immigrant Groups Without Explaining Who They Were, (Sep 12, 2019)
Reuters, Migrant mothers and children sue U.S. over asylum ban (Sep 17, 2019)
Associated Press, Case stalled months after an aborted deportation to Israel (Sep 25, 2019)
Sorry Not Sorry with Alyssa Milano, Katie McHugh: White Nationalism in the White House [Podcast co-host] (Mar 2, 2020)
Pittsburgh City Paper, How Pittsburgh’s Colcom Foundation is ‘greenwashing’ its anti-immigrant message (Mar 11, 2020)
Sorry Not Sorry with Alyssa Milano, LIVE Election Roundup with EJ Dionne, Jesse Wegman, Po Murray, Laura Packard, and Hassan Ahmad (Nov 8, 2020)
Detroit News, Supreme Court to hear challenge to UM over anti-immigration activist’s papers (Dec 27, 2020)
Michigan Live, State Supreme Court to hear case on anti-immigration activist’s papers housed at University of Michigan (Dec 29, 2020)
Detroit News, UM tells Supreme Court anti-immigration activist’s documents not public records (Jan 6, 2021)
Virginia Mercury, A Virginia attorney has been seeking sealed papers from a major anti-immigrant activist for years. What do they show? (Jan 7, 2021)
Michigan Radio, Sealed papers of anti-immigration activist John Tanton at the center of lawsuit against UM (Jan 29, 2021)
Voice of America, Biden’s Immigration Reform Proposal Explained (Feb 18, 2021)
Mother Jones, One Man’s Quest to Crack the Modern Anti-Immigration Movement—by Unsealing Its Architect’s Papers (Mar 30, 2021)
MSNBC American Voices with Alicia Menendez, Uncovering the dark roots of modern anti-immigration policy (Apr 4, 2021)
Michigan Live, Lawsuit seeking anti-immigration activist’s papers housed at University of Michigan headed for trial (Apr 9, 2021)
Daily Beast, The Cesspool That Gave Rise to Stephen Miller, (May 10, 2021)
