Immigrants in the United States without proper documentation face the risk of being subject to deportation (“removal”) proceedings and being detained. Decisions about deportation and immigration detention are made by immigration judges (IJs) in immigration courts (ICs) around the country. Some applications are also decided by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and are characterized as “benefits” rather than relief. Psychological evidence is a key component of many forms of removal relief and benefits (e.g., asylum applications, hardship, competency). Decisions made by IJs, immigration attorneys, and mental health professionals in IC can have serious consequences for immigrants, including deportation and detention. This chapter reviews some of the psychological issues involved in immigration law and the legal decision-making involved in removal relief applications. It also outlines the ways in which forensic mental health assessments can aid IJs in their decision-making process and offers recommendations for research and policy in this area.

While Multicultural Counseling Training (MCT) and Intercultural Training (ICT) represent two prominent, culture-focused specialties that concern with cultural, intercultural, and human diversity issues, there have been surprisingly little to no intersections or interactions between the two disciplines up to this point. To bridge this gap, the current chapter offers a comprehensive and synergetic review of MCT and its relevance and implication for ICT. Accordingly, the present chapter systematically surveys and analyzes: (1) MCT’s historical roots and development; (2) its parallels and similarities to ICT; (3) the definition of multicultural counseling practice and training; (4) the advent of professional standards for MCT; (5) MCT’s operationalization and measurement of cultural competence; (6) its training models, methods, and techniques; and (7) the prevailing and emerging themes and issues of MCT. In this review, striking parallels and intriguing divergences between MCT and ICT are identified, juxtaposed, and examined, from their respective historical, sociopolitical, intellectual, and methodological traditions and contexts. Critical thoughts and recommended directions to encourage a greater intellectual cross-fertilization and interdisciplinary collaboration between the two specialty areas are considered and presented. As follows, this integrative review represents among the first systematic attempts to facilitate the linkage and the synthesis between these two eminent, allied disciplines.