Harris Beach Murtha Adds Seasoned Immigration Attorney Dedicated to Removal and Deportation Defense

Experienced immigration attorney John Z. Jeha has joined Harris Beach Murtha to strengthen the firm’s removal and deportation defense services, a rapidly growing area of client need and opportunity for the firm.

John is passionate about helping individuals and families navigate the complex world of immigration law with confidence and peace of mind. With a wealth of experience representing clients before institutions such as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), he has an established reputation for delivering positive results for his clients.

He’s experienced with a wide range of immigration applications, encompassing everything from guiding clients through interviews to representing them in asylum hearings, Master Calendar and Merits (Individual) Hearings. He’s frequently presented compelling briefs to the Board of Immigration Appeals, drafted supplemental statements, rebutted Notices of Intent to Deny and crafted persuasive responses to Requests for Evidence, ensuring his clients’ cases are presented with utmost clarity and effectiveness.

John, based in our Syracuse office, joins a team of experienced attorneys assisting clients with removal and deportation defense. The attorneys are committed to protecting the rights of foreign nationals facing removal from the United States. They work with individuals, families and employers, working to prevent deportation and identify legal pathways for clients to remain in the United States. They assist and advocate for individuals at every stage of the removal process, guiding clients through complex proceedings that may include orders of supervision and full representation before the Immigration Courts.

“With the addition of John Jeha as Senior Counsel, we are significantly strengthening and expanding our removal defense capabilities,” said L.J. D’Arrigo, leader of Harris Beach Murtha’s Immigration Practice Group. “Our team provides comprehensive, strategic defense for individuals confronting deportation — whether they are detained by ICE or defending their case while continuing to live and work in their communities. We also partner closely with employers, guiding them through ICE audits, worksite enforcement actions, raids and the detention or removal of valued employees to ensure their workforce and operations are protected. John brings deep courtroom experience, sound judgment and a true sense of urgency to every matter, delivering hands-on, responsive advocacy when liberty, family unity and future opportunity are on the line.”

John previously worked as an attorney for the Hiscock Legal Aid Society in Syracuse, where he prepared immigration forms for clients before USCIS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including legal permanent residency applications, special juvenile immigrant applications, U-visa applications, VAWA visa applications, asylum applications, work authorization renewals and more. He also represented unaccompanied minors, incapacitated persons and their guardians in New York Family and Surrogates Court in guardianship proceedings in connection with their immigration cases.

John benefited from a plethora of notable global experiences on his way to becoming a seasoned immigration attorney. He previously served as an intern at a law office in Beirut, Lebanon, and as a research assistant for the Human Rights Watch, Middle East and North Africa Division in Beirut, where he conducted interviews with refugees, victims of the Syrian conflict and witnesses to human rights and humanitarian law violations, as well as collected evidence of Russian air strikes in Syria using social media and other online tools. He also served as an intern at the United Nations, Economic & Social Council for Western Asia, where he drafted memos on contractual guidelines for entering into partnerships with other organizations/member country institutions and authored evaluation and policy briefs, memoranda and promotional materials.

He has also worked with the Office of United States Senator Jeanne Shaheen; the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Middle East Center; as an election monitor for the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections; and as a research intern with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs.

John, who speaks English, Arabic and French, has a deeply rooted dedication to providing personalized attention, tailored solutions and compassionate representation. He understands each client’s immigration journey is unique and often carries profound personal significance. He’s committed to protecting liberty, preserving families and defending futures.

About Harris Beach Murtha

Harris Beach Murtha formed in 2025 via the combination of Harris Beach PLLC and Murtha Cullina LLP. A forward-thinking and innovative partnership with the benefit of more than 250 years of combined history, Harris Beach Murtha’s New York roots reach back to 1856 and the firm has had ties to New England since 1936. Harris Beach and Murtha Cullina were separately among the country’s top law firms as ranked by The National Law Journal.

Harris Beach Murtha and its subsidiaries have a strong Northeast presence, with a global reach, and represent clients locally, regionally and nationally. Clients include Fortune 100 corporations, privately held companies, emerging businesses, public sector entities, tax-exempt organizations and individuals. The firm’s practice areas and industries served span appellate law, business litigation, cannabis, commercial real estate, construction, corporate, environmental, energy, financial institutions, financial restructuring, government compliance and investigations, health care, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, mass torts, medical and life sciences, political law, product liability, public finance, tax, and trusts and estates.

Harris Beach Murtha is the exclusive member firm in Connecticut for Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent firms with in-depth experience in more than 125 countries worldwide. As part of the Lex Mundi global network, Harris Beach Murtha can provide clients with preferred access to more than 22,000 lawyers around the world – all from a single point of contact. Lex Mundi allows Harris Beach Murtha to seamlessly handle clients’ most challenging cross-border transactions and disputes.

The firm’s lawyers and consultants practice from offices throughout Connecticut in Bantam, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford; New York state in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Ithaca, Niagara Falls, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Long Island and White Plains, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts and Newark, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.harrisbeachmurtha.com.