Center for Immigrant Rights

Mission: The Center for Immigrant Rights tackles problems faced by low-income immigrants and CLINIC member agencies that can only be resolved through advocacy, education, pro bono representation, litigation, and media. The Center identifies legal trends and issues affecting immigrants and pursues responsive solutions. The Center prioritizes its advocacy agenda in concert with its member agencies. It also collaborates with Migration and Refugee Services of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). At the national level, the Center for Immigrant Rights focuses on administrative advocacy with officials at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). At the local level, the Center supports the efforts of advocates working to combat state and local anti-immigrant measures. To increase representation to detained immigrants, the Center coordinates the Board of Immigration Appeals Pro Bono Project. Because documentation and media coverage of the human impact of U.S. immigration polices are crucial to advocacy efforts that seek to create a more just immigration system, the Center documents and facilitates media coverage of the challenges facing immigrants served by its network. It also provides support to its member and colleague agencies engaged in media outreach.

Projects

Administrative Advocacy

Through its administrative advocacy efforts, CLINIC seeks to improve practices of the DHS and the EOIR. CLINIC plays an important liaison role between its local member agencies and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Through its member and colleague agencies, CLINIC regularly surfaces problems that impact immigrants and their families as they attempt to navigate our nation’s complex immigration laws and policies. CLINIC documents problems in the field, issues monitoring and legal reports, identifies solutions, and meets regularly with the various DHS agencies noted above to resolve these issues. CLINIC also comments on proposed federal regulations and advocates for appropriate revisions and supports its affiliate members with local advocacy efforts. For more information, contact CLINIC’s Director of Advocacy, Allison Posner at aposner@cliniclegal.org.

BIA Pro Bono Project

Without legal representation, detained immigrants have little hope of winning their cases before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), the nation’s highest administrative appeals court for decisions made by Immigration Judges. Immigrants are often detained in areas far from legal resources, face language barriers, and lack familiarity with the U.S. legal system. Without a lawyer it is almost impossible to overcome these barriers and present a legal claim to relief to remain in the country. The CLINIC Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Pro Bono Project was created to address these challenges.

One of the nation's most successful pro bono initiatives, the BIA Project partners with more than 400 attorneys and law school clinics to provide pro bono legal representation to indigent immigrants. Through a network of committed volunteers, trainers, and mentors, the BIA Project facilitates access to justice, a critical component to safeguarding the rights of vulnerable asylum-seekers and long time lawful permanent residents. Since the Project’s inception in 2001, it has secured representation for more than 550 individuals. The Project regularly surfaces cases that result in significant decisions, including favorable, published BIA decisions, as well as Federal and Supreme Court decision. In a published study, the Department of Justice found that immigrants who had been provided representation through the Project were up to four times more likely to win a favorable decision before the BIA. For more information contact CLINIC staff attorney Ann Atalla at aatalla@cliniclegal.org.

Related Resources:

BIA Pro Bono Project Newsletter

Media Advocacy and Support

Media coverage of the human impact of U.S. immigration policies is crucial to advocacy efforts that seek to create a more just immigration system. Through the use of various media strategies, CLINIC proactively raises awareness of the systemic barriers faced by newcomers and their families and works to frame the immigration debate in a positive and honest light. In addition, CLINIC supports it network members in their media advocacy efforts. For more information, contact CLINIC’s Public Affairs Officer, Melissa Williams at mwilliams@cliniclegal.org.

State and Local Immigration Enforcement

In 2007, CLINIC created a new project to support advocates working to address the growing number of anti-immigrant measures proposed and introduced at the state and local levels. After the collapse of comprehensive immigration reform in 2007, approximately 500 immigration related bills were introduced by state legislators. By 2008, the number of proposed immigration-related bills had tripled to 1,562. Nearly every state legislature had introduced a bill related to immigration. Through the project, CLINIC provides legal analysis, training, technical assistance, and support to advocates working to combat anti-immigrant legislation and ordinances, many of which are far reaching and penalize not only the undocumented, but their families, business owners, and others who interact with them. Contact CLINIC staff attorney Karen Herrling at kherrling@cliniclegal.org for more information.

Related Resources:

Litigation Assessment

CLINIC is requesting information about cases that may be in need of litigation before state, local, and federal court systems. If you are aware of any of these type of cases, please complete our Litigation Assessment Referral Form.

Please note that CLINIC is compiling this data for informational purposes. Submission of this form does not guarantee that CLINIC will attempt to match or litigate your case.

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