Caridad Pastor has been suing the Department of Homeland Security and its predecessor, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, in federal district courts since 1994. That three-decade track record of federal immigration litigation distinguishes Pastor & Associates from immigration firms that focus primarily on applications and petitions. The firm operates in immigration courts, U.S. district courts, and U.S. Courts of Appeals, in cities from New York City to Detroit, Cleveland, Tucson, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The founding attorney graduated from New York University Law School in 1989, and has practiced immigration law exclusively since 1990.
Overview
Pastor & Associates P.C. is an immigration law firm with offices in New York City, Troy, Michigan, and Dearborn, Michigan. The firm practices immigration law exclusively and concentrates significantly in federal court immigration litigation, a practice area that extends beyond the administrative proceedings most immigration clients encounter.
Caridad Pastor’s professional history before founding the firm is unusually wide for an immigration attorney. She worked at the United Nations in New York on international disarmament and human rights, served as a consultant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of New Jersey, worked in the City of New York’s Civil Rights Division on immigration law matters, and served as Director of Migration for the Archdiocese of Detroit, working directly with the immigrant religious community. She was a founding member of the U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce Great Lakes Division, has lobbied Congress for the establishment of an immigration court in Detroit, and received the Pro Bono Award from the Federal Eastern District of Michigan for 2014-2015. She is a National Hispanic Scholarship recipient.
She is a member of AILA’s Detroit Chapter and serves as Co-Chair of that chapter’s Immigration Committee. She is a member of the ABA’s International Law Section and International Litigation Committee, and is a member of the Federal Bar Association’s Detroit Chapter.
Practice Areas
Immigration law is the firm’s only practice area. Within immigration, the firm operates across a broad scope that spans administrative proceedings, federal court litigation, and complex enforcement defense.
Federal court immigration litigation is a defining component of the practice. The firm has filed federal lawsuits against DHS since 1994, including Mandamus actions compelling the government to adjudicate delayed immigration benefits. Mandamus lawsuits are a specific legal mechanism in federal district court that forces an agency to take action it has unlawfully delayed or withheld. The firm has used this approach to obtain green cards for clients who had been waiting more than a decade, completing the process within a month of filing suit.
Habeas corpus petitions for ICE detention challenge the lawfulness of a client’s detention by immigration authorities in federal court. This is distinct from bond hearings before immigration judges and represents a separate avenue of relief.
Asylum and withholding of removal defense represents clients who face persecution-based claims in removal proceedings before the immigration court.
Board of Immigration Appeals practice covers appeals of immigration judge decisions to the BIA, the administrative appellate body for immigration court decisions.
Denaturalization defense is an area few immigration attorneys address. Denaturalization proceedings involve the government seeking to revoke a person’s citizenship. The firm handles these cases.
DHS fraud accusations defense covers cases where the government has accused a client of fraud in connection with an immigration application, which can result in removal proceedings or criminal referrals.
Watchlist cases involve clients who appear on government watchlists that affect their ability to obtain immigration benefits or travel.
Family-based green cards, employment-based immigration and work visas, and naturalization and citizenship are standard immigration services also offered by the firm.
Attorney Profiles
Caridad Pastor is the founder and principal attorney. She earned her JD from New York University Law School in 1989 and has practiced immigration law exclusively since 1990, giving her more than 35 years in the field. She is admitted to the Michigan bar, the New York bar, and before U.S. federal courts including U.S. Courts of Appeals.
Before founding the firm, she worked at the United Nations on international disarmament and human rights in New York, served as a consultant to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, worked in New York City’s Civil Rights Division on immigration law, and served as Director of Migration for the Archdiocese of Detroit. She is an AILA member and Co-Chair of the AILA Detroit Chapter’s Immigration Committee. She is a founding member of the U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce Great Lakes Division and received the Pro Bono Award from the Federal Eastern District of Michigan for 2014-2015. She is a National Hispanic Scholarship recipient and has lobbied Congress for immigration policy, including advocating for an immigration court in Detroit.
Additional attorneys at the firm, if any, are not publicly identified in available sources.
Location and Service Area
The primary New York office is at 11 Broadway, Suite 1005, New York, NY 10004. Phone: (917) 946-5064. Michigan offices are in Troy and Dearborn, with a Michigan phone number of (248) 987-0757.
The firm practices nationwide in federal immigration courts. Caridad Pastor has appeared in immigration courts in New York City, Detroit, Cleveland, Tucson, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The firm’s federal court immigration litigation practice extends to U.S. district courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals across the country.
Client Focus
Pastor & Associates serves individuals and families in immigration proceedings, with particular depth serving those who face complex enforcement matters, delayed benefits, or federal court issues that go beyond standard immigration applications.
The firm’s history at the Archdiocese of Detroit and its founding membership in the U.S. Mexico Chamber of Commerce Great Lakes Division reflects a long-standing connection to immigrant communities in Michigan and beyond.
The firm’s Pro Bono Award from the federal court reflects a commitment to pro bono representation alongside its regular practice.
Language capabilities at the firm: Spanish is strongly inferred from the founding attorney’s background and client community, though explicit confirmation of the firm’s Spanish-language practice capability is not available in publicly reviewed sources. Prospective clients should confirm directly.
Consultation inquiries can be made by phone at (917) 946-5064 (New York) or through the website contact form at https://www.pastorandassociates.com/
FAQ
What is a Mandamus lawsuit in the immigration context?
A Mandamus action is a lawsuit filed in federal district court asking a judge to order a federal agency to act on a delayed application. In immigration, this is used when USCIS or another agency has delayed adjudicating a visa petition, green card application, or naturalization application beyond a reasonable period. The firm has used Mandamus actions to obtain green cards for clients who had waited over a decade, resolving the case within a month of filing.
Does the firm handle cases after an immigration judge has issued a decision?
Yes. The firm practices before the Board of Immigration Appeals, which reviews immigration judge decisions administratively, and before the U.S. Courts of Appeals, which review BIA decisions in federal court.
What is denaturalization and can the firm help?
Denaturalization is a proceeding in which the government seeks to revoke a person’s U.S. citizenship. These are relatively rare and serious cases. Pastor & Associates handles denaturalization defense.
Does the firm represent detained immigrants?
Yes. The firm handles habeas corpus petitions challenging the lawfulness of immigration detention, which are filed in federal district court. This is separate from requesting bond release from an immigration judge.
Does the firm handle cases outside New York and Michigan?
Yes. The firm has a nationwide immigration court practice and has appeared in courts in New York City, Detroit, Cleveland, Tucson, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Federal immigration litigation extends to U.S. district courts and Courts of Appeals across the country.
Closing
Pastor & Associates occupies a distinctive position in immigration law: a firm whose founding attorney built her career at the United Nations, in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in city government, and at a major archdiocese before channeling all of that institutional experience into a federal litigation-oriented immigration practice. The firm’s 30 years of DHS litigation and its nationwide immigration court presence define a practice built for the cases that most firms do not take.