Ashkan Yekrangi

Ashkan Yekrangi Came to America as an Immigrant—Now He Goes to Federal Court to Free People From ICE Detention

Immigration law can determine whether someone remains with family, receives protection in the United States, or is taken into government custody. Ashkan Yekrangi understands that reality both personally and professionally. He immigrated from Iran. Today, as a State Bar-certified immigration-law specialist, he has gone into federal court and won orders requiring ICE to release detained clients.

One client, an Iranian national, had complied with the conditions of his release under ICE supervision before the government detained him again in 2025. Yekrangi challenged the detention through a federal habeas action. The court found that immigration authorities had failed to provide the notice and procedural protections required by federal regulations, granted a preliminary injunction, and ordered the client’s immediate release under his previous supervision conditions.

Another client had entered the United States from Vietnam at age 11 and complied with ICE supervision for more than two decades. When he attended a routine immigration check-in in 2025, he was taken into custody without prior warning. Yekrangi brought the case before a federal judge, who concluded that the client was likely to succeed in showing that removal was not reasonably foreseeable and that the government had failed to follow required procedures. The court ordered his immediate release.

These were not routine immigration applications. They required Yekrangi to move beyond the administrative system, challenge federal detention, and persuade judges that the government had exceeded its lawful authority. For a person in custody, that ability can mean the difference between remaining behind locked doors and returning home.

Yekrangi founded Yekrangi & Associates around a practice that reaches from family and employment immigration to asylum, removal defense, federal mandamus actions, and appeals. His certification in Immigration and Nationality Law is conferred by the State Bar of California, distinguishing him from attorneys who simply include immigration among several practice areas.

His appellate experience includes arguing before a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case involved an asylum applicant whose claim had been rejected because of supposed inconsistencies. Yekrangi challenged that reasoning and argued that the immigration judge and Board of Immigration Appeals had misread the record. The appearance demonstrates a willingness to continue fighting after an unfavorable immigration-court decision.

His work has also produced life-changing outcomes outside federal detention litigation. Yekrangi reopened immigration proceedings and helped a client secure permanent residency without leaving the United States. He identified parole in place as the correct strategy for a military family, allowing the service member’s spouse to receive a green card within six months without pursuing an unnecessary waiver. Other outcomes include an asylum approval approximately one month after filing and citizenship secured within three months for a longtime permanent resident facing complications.

The foundation for that advocacy was built at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where Yekrangi served on the Hastings Law Journal and became its Senior Production Editor. He also completed a judicial externship with California Supreme Court Justice Joyce L. Kennard.

Professional recognition and public feedback strengthen the picture. Yekrangi earned seven Southern California Rising Stars selections before advancing to the Southern California Super Lawyers list in 2026. He also maintains an exceptional 4.9-star Google rating based on 415 reviews—substantial public validation from hundreds of people who have experienced the firm’s work.

Yekrangi’s defining value is not merely that he once experienced immigration personally. It is that he mastered its law to the standard of an officially certified specialist and has demonstrated the ability to challenge the federal government when a client’s freedom depends on it. For immigrants and families confronting detention, removal, or an uncertain future, that combination of personal understanding and federal-court capability can be extraordinarily valuable.

That combination of experience, reputation, verified professional standing, and public credibility is why Ashkan Yekrangi was included on FreddieFender.com.