Biography
Joe was admitted to the practice of law in 1987 and has been Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law since 2000. In a statewide survey of attorneys, conducted and published by The Texas Lawyer, Joe was listed among the five best immigration lawyers in the State. He has appeared in Best Lawyers in America since 2001, and in Texas Monthly’s “Super Lawyers” repeatedly for over 20 years, including 2025.
Joe has succeeded in hundreds of deportation cases, many of which presented extraordinary challenges. In one case, he saved from deportation a permanent resident arrested at the border attempting to return to the United States with 307 grams of heroin in his underpants. In another case, Mr. Reina secured a green card for a man who spent ten years in federal prison for bank robbery. In yet another, he won permanent residence for an alien with seven drunk-driving convictions. He has won dozens of other similarly difficult cases.
His appellate work includes Deanda-Romo, 23 I&N Dec. 597 (BIA 2003) and Quilantan, 25 I&N Dec. 285 (BIA 2010). He has also succeeded in federal litigation against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as well as the Department of State. These cases have achieved “about-face” reversals of originally adverse decisions. He has represented a variety of professionals, such as players of the National Football League and the world’s foremost expert on the work of Velásquez.
At the request of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Joe authored a chapter of The Waivers Book - Advanced Issues in Immigration Law Practice. He has published over thirty-five legal articles, has spoken across the United States and abroad on immigration law and policy, and has given insight into immigration law on national and international radio and television. State and federal courts have relied on his expertise and the Department of Homeland Security has called him as an expert witness.
Mr. Reina was Chairman of the Texas Chapter of AILA in 2005 and 2006. He served for six years on the Immigration and Nationality Law Examination Committee of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. And has been a member of AILA’s National Liaison Committee to the Executive Office for Immigration Review. From January 2005 to April 2006, Mr. Reina was official counsel to the Consulate of Mexico in Dallas on matters of U.S. immigration law. Joe has taught at Texas A&M University School of Law, speaks at immigration-law conferences frequently, and has helped train the staff of non-profit immigration-service providers. Catholic Charities of Dallas has recognized Joe as an outstanding mentor of lawyers representing indigent detainees battling deportation.
Mr. Reina graduated from Georgetown University in 1984 and from the University of Houston Law School in 1987, which he attended on an academic scholarship. He also completed programs at the University of Bourgogne and the University of Salamanca. He is fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish.
Joe is also a SCUBA instructor, and his marine photography appears at www.fluctuat-nec-mergitur.com. A licensed pilot, he often flies himself to professional engagements and court appearances.
Education
- University of Houston Law Center, Houston, Texas
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence – 1987
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Honors: Scholarship from the Lillian Kaiser Lewis Foundation
- University of Bourgogne, France, 1982
- University of Salamanca, Spain, 1984
- Georgetown University, School of Foreign Servic, Washington, District of Columbia, 1984
- B.S.F.S
- Honors: International Business Diplomacy
Bar Admission
- Texas, 1987
- District of Columbia, 1989
- U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit, 1990
- U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 1990
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
Published Works
- After the False Identity – The Difficulties of Coming Clean, 2015 IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY LAW HANDBOOK (with Maria Baldini-Potermin, Laura Lichter, and Holly S. Cooper).
- “Don’t Take ‘No’ for an Answer” – Urging Sua Sponte Reopening and Judicial Review of Refusals to Reopen Sua Sponte Post Departure, AILA Texas Chapter Winter Conference, (Nov. 2014).
- “Crimmigration” – The Increasingly Seamless Web of Criminal and Immigration Law, AILA Midsouth-Texas Joint Chapter Conference, (Nov. 2012) (with Hiroko Kosuda).
- What Every Attorney Should Do Before Concluding that a Client Has Been Convicted of an Aggravated Felony, 2012 IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY LAW HANDBOOK.
- Some Thoughts on the Availability of 212(h) Waivers After Martinez, Federal Bar Association – Immigration Law Seminar, (May 2012).
- Waivers of Misrepresentation or Fraud in Procuring Visa or Entry, THE WAIVERS BOOK - ADVANCED ISSUES IN IMMIGRATION LAW PRACTICE, 103 (2011).
- Advanced Removal Issues: Dealing with the Thorny Problems, AILA Texas Chapter Winter Conference, (Nov. 2009).
- TO YOUR LICENSE ·“Hang on ^For Dear Life!”: Zealous Representation Before an Increasingly Hostile Agency, AILA Texas Chapter Winter Conference, (Nov. 2009
- Navigating the Flooding Waters of Exclusion Swallowing the Isthmi to Lawful Residence, 2009-10 IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY LAW HANDBOOK 503.
- Coming to America: The “Immigration Dartboard” —A Graphic Presentation of Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Avenues into the United States, 14 BENDER’S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN 672 (June 1, 2009).
- Divorce in the Immigration Context, State Bar of Texas, Texas College for Judicial Studies, Advanced Family Law Seminar and Boot Camp, (Aug. 2008).
- Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You, State Bar of Texas, 34th Annual Criminal Law Course and Criminal Law Boot Camp, (July 2008).
- Becoming a Permanent Resident of the United States: Consular Processing vs. Adjustment of Status, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Institute, (Feb. 2008).
- Navigating the Immigration Maze, University of Texas School of Law, 31st Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Oct. 2007).
- Don’t Tread on Me—Again: Reentry After Removal, 2007–08 IMMIGRATION & NATIONALITY LAW HANDBOOK 471
- Immigration Issues in Family and Juvenile Practice, State Bar of Texas, Texas College for Judicial Studies, Advanced Family Law Seminar, (April 2007).
- Consular Processing Around the Deportation and Unlawful Presence Grounds of Inadmissibility in Changing Times, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Institute, (Feb. 2007).
- Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing, University of Texas School of Law, 30th Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Oct. 2006).
- Immigration Issues and Children, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, (2006).
- Four Common Grounds of Inadmissibility/Waivers, University of Texas School of Law, 29th Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Sept. 2005).
- Love and Marriage Run Amuck: Where Family and Immigration Law Meet, State Bar of Texas, Texas College for Judicial Studies, Advanced Family Law Seminar, (Aug. 2004).
- Navigating the Minefield of Unlawful Presence, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Course, (May 2004).
- Waivers in Removal Proceedings—Fighting the “Decline of Discretion,” AILA Texas Chapter Winter Conference, (Nov. 2003).
- Immigration Lawyers on a Tightrope: Balancing the Duty Toward the Truth and to One’s Client, University of Texas School of Law, 27th Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Oct. 2003).
- “Hyperequities” II: The Removal Case in Detention, University of Texas School of Law, 27th Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Oct. 2003).
- Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions, Criminal Defense Lawyers Project, “A Day in the Life of a Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer,” (July 2003).
- Understanding Family-Based Immigration, State Bar of Texas College Summer School 2003, (July 2003).
- Distinguishing Characteristics: How to Set Yourself Apart from the Pack, 29 SOLO & SMALL FIRM WORKBOOK, published by THE TEXAS LAWYER, June 9, 2003.
- Understanding Family-Based Immigration, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Course, (May 8–9, 2003).
- Walking a Tightrope or the Plank: Balancing the Duty Toward the Truth and to One’s Client, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Course, (May 2003).
- “The Immigration Dartboard”: Understanding the Nonimmigrant and Immigrant Avenues into the United States, State Bar of Texas Immigration Law Course, (May 2003).
- Walking a Tightrope or the Plank? Immigration Issues for the Employment Lawyer After September 11, 2001, State Bar of Texas High Tech Litigation, (Feb. 2003).
- “Hyperequities”: 212(c) and Cancellation of Removal After Matter of Jean, 7 BENDER’S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN 1549 (Dec. 15, 2002).
- Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing, University of Texas School of Law, 25th Annual Conference on Immigration and Nationality Law, (Oct. 2001).
- Legislators Must Look to the Past Before Changing Immigration Laws, THE TEXAS LAWYER, Oct. 8, 2001.
- “Advocacy Note: A Report from the Trenches,” 4 BENDER’S IMMIGRATION BULLETIN 925 (Sept. 15, 1999).
- Walking a Tightrope or a Plank? Immigration Issues the Employment Lawyers, South Texas College of Law, Employment and Labor Law Course, (July 1999).
- Knock, Knock! Who’s There? Part Two: Immigration and Naturalization, University of Houston Law Foundation - Employment Law for Lawyers and Human Resource Professionals, (Nov. 1997).
- Fear of Cancer and Increased Risk of Cancer: Problems with Gideon and A Proposal Within, 7 The Review of Litigation 39, 1987
Honors
- Order of the Coif
- Prudential Award for Excellence in Health Law
- Karl F. Laudegger Honors Certificate in International Business Diplomacy
- The Texas Lawyer, Ranked among Five Top Immigration Lawyers in Texas
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) since 2001.
- Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2003-2004, 2006-2017, 2020-2025
- Included in THE TEXAS LAWYER GO-TO GUIDE OF TOP-NOTCH LAWYERS
- Outstanding Mentor Award – Catholic Charities Immigration Counseling Services Detention Project
Classes & Seminars
- Adjunct Professor of immigration law at Texas Wesleyan University School of Law
Pro-Bono Activities
- Member, Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas
- SCUBA instructor (NAUI)
Languages
- French
- Italian
- Spanish
Professional Associations
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Immigration and Nationality law examination committee
- Texas, Oklahoma Chapter of AILA, Chairman, 2005 to 2006 (Chairman)
- New Mexico Chapter of AILA, Chairman, 2005 to 2006 (Chairman)
- National Liaison Committee of AILA to the Executive Office for Immigration Review
Certified Legal Specialties
- Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law since 2000 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2000
Current Employment Position
- Attorney