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Services Provided
<br />Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a leading social justice law firm dedicated to defending immigrant
<br />communities against systemic injustices in the legal system. Founded in 2015 by experienced public interest
<br />immigration attorneys, ImmDef operates on the principle that access to due process in the immigration system is a
<br />fundamental human right. Guided by a model of universal representation, we envision a world where no immigrant
<br />is forced to navigate an unjust immigration system alone. Since its inception, ImmDef has grown from a small team
<br />of attorneys to over 190 dedicated staff members, reflecting the critical need for our services in the communities we
<br />serve. With offices in Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Ana, and San Diego, ImmDef has become the largest non-profit
<br />pro bono provider of deportation defense in California, supported by an annual operating budget of $15,464,429 in
<br />2023.
<br />ImmDef serves clients from around the globe. While 64% of our clients come from Spanish-speaking countries, the
<br />remaining 36% are from a wide variety of nations, including Vietnam, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Haiti,
<br />Afghanistan, and Armenia. Approximately 60% of our clients are male, 40% are female, and 56.5% are 18 years old
<br />or younger.
<br />ImmDef proposes to deliver comprehensive removal defense services aligned with the described deliverables by
<br />leveraging its extensive experience and established programs. ImmDef’s Children’s Representation Project (CRP)
<br />provides full-scale deportation defense to children and youth, representing clients in proceedings before Immigration
<br />Courts, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and California state courts. CRP’s services include asylum,
<br />bond, and expedited removal proceedings, as well as motions to reopen or reconsider final administrative orders.
<br />Through the Detained Youth Empowerment Program (DYEP), ImmDef offers Know Your Rights classes and legal
<br />screenings to children in short-term ORR facilities, ensuring detained youth have the resources to navigate bond
<br />hearings and advocate for their release.
<br />ImmDef’s Community Defense Project employs a merits-blind universal representation model, ensuring that
<br />individuals, regardless of circumstances, have legal support in removal and detention-related proceedings. This
<br />includes representing clients in bond hearings, parole requests, and challenges to detention conditions. Similarly, the
<br />Post-Conviction Relief Project focuses on cases where criminal convictions impact immigration status, often
<br />involving motions to vacate or reopen prior removal orders. This work frequently intersects with cases involving
<br />Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and state court proceedings, meeting the deliverables for representation in related
<br />state court matters.
<br />For appellate cases, ImmDef’s Litigation and Advocacy Project provides representation at all stages of the appeals
<br />process, including filing motions to reopen, petitions for review, and stay requests before the Board of Immigration
<br />Appeals and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The project also addresses systemic issues, such as due process
<br />violations and access to counsel, which directly align with deliverables requiring robust appellate advocacy.
<br />In serving detained individuals, ImmDef’s National Qualified Representative Program offers representation to
<br />immigrants with serious mental health conditions who are entitled to court-appointed counsel. This program ensures
<br />these individuals receive the necessary support throughout removal proceedings, including challenges to continued
<br />detention. The Welcoming Project further complements these efforts by providing legal consultations and referrals
<br />to migrants in Southern California, including those eligible for pro se assistance or who need help filing applications
<br />for asylum and work permits.
<br />ImmDef staff provide these comprehensive legal services with a trauma-informed approach, understanding that each
<br />individual client’s needs are unique. This means having full language access to interpreters, when we do not have a
<br />client’s native language speakers on staff, ensuring we have translated documents, and providing culturally sensitive
<br />information. As part of this holistic approach to legal services, the case management associates we have on staff
<br />dedicate their time to connecting our clients to social services and resources needed, as they face countless
<br />challenges outside the courtroom.
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