Wildes & Weinberg, P.C. Founding Partner Leon Wildes, and Managing Partner Michael Wildes join MSNBC .The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss The John Lennon Immigration Battle and its effect on present day immigration laws, November 18, 2014.
Wildes & Weinberg’s Leon and Michael Wildes, the father-son immigration team, sat down with Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss the precedent set by John Lennon’s deportation fight in the mid ’70s. Lennon’s case serves as the basis of the executive order President Barack Obama is expected to issue to save many immigrants threatened with deportation.
Leon Wildes is no stranger to Lennon’s plight. In fact in no small part to the hard work and dedication of Leon Wildes, John Lennon was able to remain in the United States. Founded in 1960, by Leon Wildes, Wildes & Weinberg, is still dedicated solely to U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law and its practice expanded steadily as word of its outstanding achievements spread in the international community. One of Mr. Wildes’ best known accomplishments was his successful representation of John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono in their widely publicized deportation proceedings, the circumstances of which have inspired several films, documentaries, and a multitude of written works.
More then 50 years later, the firm now has offices in New York City, New York, Englewood, New Jersey, and Miami, Florida, and continues to maintain its stellar reputation in the field of U.S. Immigration & Nationality Law by servicing the immigration needs of prominent American and International firms, banks, industrial, financial and manufacturing concerns and law firms in connection with the personnel needs of their foreign national employees. In addition, the firm has a distinguished clientele and continues to do substantial immigration work for performing artists, directors, writers, models, actors/actresses, athletes, fine artists, art dealers, curators, and literary agents.
After serving as a Federal Prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn (1989-1993), Michael joined his father’s practice and shortly thereafter further followed in his father’s footsteps by taking over Leon Wildes’ Immigration Law class at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. As a graduate of Cardozo, Michael enjoys teaching and mentoring the next generation of lawyers in his Business Immigration Law class. In addition to running a highly successful immigration law practice, Michael is also a frequent participant on professional panels and commentator on network television with regard to U.S. immigration law. He has also testified on Capitol Hill in connection with anti-terrorism legislation and is internationally renowned for his successful representation of distinguished individuals and corporate clients such as famed artist Sarah Brightman, several Miss Universe winners, and soccer icon Pele.
“The Last World With Lawrence O’Donnell” on Nov. 18, 2014 focused on Deferred Action, the administrative relief that President Obama relied upon in instituting the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program in 2012 and in his recent executive order instituting the DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) program. The government’s Deferred Action program came to light as a result of the Lennon case.