NO VALID DRIVER'S LICENSE (F.S. § 322.03)
DEFERRED PROSECTION
Walton County, FL
December 12, 2025
Client, a non-citizen in ICE custody, was cited in Walton County for No Valid Driver's License (F.S. § 322.03) and an additional traffic infraction. While these charges carried relatively modest direct penalties, the client's immigration situation transformed a routine traffic case into a matter with life-altering consequences. The client had been [REDACTED] when stopped by law enforcement, was subsequently transferred to immigration detention, and faced [REDACTED] removal proceedings. Any criminal conviction — even a misdemeanor traffic offense — could be used as a negative discretionary factor by the immigration judge in determining whether to grant relief from deportation. The client's [REDACTED] family in the United States depended on a resolution that preserved every possible avenue for immigration relief.
Mitkevicius Law coordinated closely with the client's immigration counsel to understand the full spectrum of immigration consequences attached to various potential resolutions. Given that the client was in immigration detention and unable to appear in court, the defense team waived the client's appearance and handled all proceedings on the client's behalf. We negotiated a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the Walton County State Attorney's Office that, upon completion, avoided a criminal conviction entirely. This was critical because a DPA does not require the entry of a plea, which could have been treated as a conviction for immigration purposes under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The charge was dismissed upon completion of the DPA, preserving the client's immigration relief options and removing the criminal case as a barrier to favorable resolution of the client's [REDACTED] immigration proceedings. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; each case depends on its facts and circumstances.