Cannabis-immigration · co-counsel
Co-counsel with Aaron Elinoff on the Barrientos case; the work helped reshape the national conversation about state-legal cannabis employment and citizenship.
Partner
Bryce Downer
Bryce is a partner at Novo Legal who represents clients before USCIS, EOIR, the BIA, and the Department of State. He works closely with labor unions to assist their members with immigration issues, and is a frequent legal voice on local news and radio.
Bar admissions
Colorado
Languages
EN · ES
With the firm
Partner
Focus areas
Immigration · Workers' rights · Cannabis-immigration
Why this work
These citizenship interviews can become a "trap" for immigrants who are simply telling the truth about their legal jobs.
As a partner at Novo Legal Group, I serve clients across the United States, representing them before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Department of State. I work closely with labor unions to assist their members with immigration issues, with a particular focus on workers' rights at the intersection of employment and immigration law.
I served as co-counsel with Aaron Elinoff on the firm's cannabis-immigration litigation, including the Oswaldo Barrientos case that generated national coverage. My warning that USCIS citizenship interviews can become a "trap" for immigrants in the cannabis industry has been widely quoted in national media and has helped raise awareness of the risks facing green-card holders in legal cannabis states.
In addition to my legal practice, I provide legal analysis on local news and radio programs covering immigration policy and cannabis-immigration developments. At Novo Legal, my practice centers on representing immigrants and workers — particularly union members and clients caught between state-legal cannabis employment and federal immigration enforcement.
What I take on, and what I don't.
Immigration
USCIS · EOIR · BIA · DOS practice · Cannabis-immigration
Workers' rights
Union partnerships · Worker visas · Employment-based cases
Media & policy
Local news legal analyst · Cannabis-immigration commentary
A sample of cases — anonymized.
Past results don't predict future ones. Every case is its own facts. These are here so you have a sense of the work.