testify in support of his or her application for relief, and may call witnesses. The Department of Homeland Security also questions the respondent and witnesses, and DHS may also call its own witnesses in some cases. At the conclusion of the merits hearing, the immigration judge issues a decision. This decision might be oral and given on the same day as the merits hearing, or written and served by mail on all parties at a later date. If a respondent's application for relief from removal is denied by an immigration judge, the respondent may be eligible to appeal that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals ("BIA") within 30 days of the date of the decision. If appealed, the respondent's removal proceedings continue at the appellate level at the BIA. If no appeal is filed and the immigration judge has ordered a respondent to be removed, the order removing the respondent becomes final 30 days after it has been entered by the immigration judge. A respondent with a final order of removal from an immigration judge is susceptible to being arrested and deported from the United States at any time. Types of aliens who appear in removal proceedings There are three categories of aliens who appear in removal proceedings: Arriving Aliens (these are people who were detained while entering the United States) Aliens present without admission or parole Admitted Aliens Features of the hearing Burden of proof In criminal proceedings, the legal burden of proof always falls on the prosecutor, i.e., the state. However, in removal proceedings, as is the case with other administrative proceedings, the legal burden of proof may fall on either side depending on the specifics of the charges. Specifically: Arriving Aliens: As a general rule, the Arriving Alien bears the legal burden of proof of clear admissibility to the United States. However, in the case of Arriving Aliens who have previously been granted Lawful Permanent Resident status, there is a presumption in favor of granting them entry, with the exceptions being those aliens who satisfy one or more of the grounds of inadmissibility covered in INA Section 212. There is some legal ambiguity regarding who has the legal burden of proof here, but some legal scholars have held that the burden of proof falls on the prosecution in the case of LPRs. Aliens Present Without Admission or Parole: This refers to people who entered unlawfully. In