Immigration Law · Permanent Residence
Green Card Guard
A Legal Guide for Permanent Residents
by Daniel J. Conidi, Esquire · Mid-Atlantic Law Press · Available in English
Lawful, But Not Guaranteed — What Every Green Card Holder Must Know
You worked for your green card. You paid the fees, survived the interviews, gathered the evidence, and waited. When the card arrived, it probably felt like the end of a long journey. It was not. It was the beginning of a different one.
Lawful permanent resident status is one of the most powerful immigration benefits the U.S. government issues — but it is a conditional privilege, not a constitutional right. The government can take it back. Not easily, and not arbitrarily, but under defined circumstances that most green card holders have never been told about. Green card holders are removed every year — for criminal convictions, for extended stays abroad, for filing deadlines they didn't know existed, and for conduct they never imagined would have immigration consequences.
Green Card Guard is the book that fixes that. Written by Daniel J. Conidi, Esquire — a former Senior Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the founding managing partner of Alliant Law Group — this book gives permanent residents the complete legal framework they need to protect what they have earned.
With 26 years of federal immigration enforcement experience and over 14 years of private immigration practice, Mr. Conidi has seen every way a green card can be lost — and developed the frameworks that prevent it. As Director of the Mid-Atlantic Law Project, he wrote this book to give permanent residents the same knowledge his private clients receive, at no cost.
Your green card represents years of effort, hope, and investment. This book shows you how to protect it.
What the Book Covers
| 1 | Introduction — Lawful, But Not Guaranteed What LPR status actually is, what it is not, and why the enforcement environment has fundamentally changed |
| 2 | The Administrative Architecture of LPR Status The carry requirement, the 10-day address change rule, green card renewal, the conditional residence I-751, Social Security, REAL ID, Selective Service, tax obligations, and the voting trap |
| 3 | Traveling Outside the United States The abandonment standard, the 180-day and one-year thresholds, reentry permits, and the legal line between a trip abroad and the loss of your status |
| 4 | Criminal Grounds for Deportation Aggravated felonies, crimes involving moral turpitude, drug offenses, domestic violence convictions, and the immigration consequences that criminal defense attorneys often miss |
| 5 | Your Rights as a Permanent Resident Work, property, education, Social Security, family petitions, military service, and the full range of benefits LPR status provides |
| 6 | The Path to Citizenship — Naturalization Eligibility requirements, continuous residence, the civics test, the interview, and the criminal history issues that can affect your N-400 |
| 7 | Petitioning for Family Members The I-130 process, preference categories, priority dates, and how to bring your spouse and children to the United States |
| 8 | ICE Enforcement — Your Rights at the Door What to do if ICE comes to your home, your workplace, or stops you on the street — and what you should never do |
| 9 | Immigration Court and Removal Proceedings How removal proceedings work, the immigration court process, appeals, and cancellation of removal |
| 10 | The 2026 Enforcement Landscape Travel bans, the biometric entry-exit system, expanded ICE priorities, and how the current administration's policies affect permanent residents right now |
Available on Amazon — Print and Kindle
Mid-Atlantic Law Press · Copyright © 2026 Daniel J. Conidi
Buy on Amazon → Call: 708-366-9900
This book is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration law is fact-specific and changes frequently. Consult a qualified immigration attorney before making any filing or travel decision.