Plus, nearly 1,000 attend sold-out 26th Annual Human Rights Awards!
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Explore NIJC’s new website and brand! NIJC is excited to launch our new visual identity and website! One year after the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) became an independent 501(c)(3) organization, we are recommitting to our mission of defending the rights of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. NIJC’s new logo highlights that Immigrant Justice has been our priority throughout our 41-year history, and will continue to be central to our identity as an independent organization. Learn more here. |
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Big win: District court strikes down rule barring people from asylum NIJC and our partners won a crucial victory for the restoration of asylum rights in our lawsuit Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This month, a D.C. district court struck down key parts of a Biden administration rule preventing people from seeking asylum. “For multiple years, courts have rejected policies that block access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and we are grateful that today’s ruling follows that trend,” said Keren Zwick, litigation director at NIJC. "We hope these aspects make it clear that procedural fairness is required in the U.S. legal system." Read more NIJC’s full statement to learn about the Court's ruling. |
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Know Your Rights: ICE at Immigration Court After invading safe spaces of employment, worship, and schooling, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has started making arrests at immigration courts around the country. IN THE NEWS: In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Alex McGriff, a senior attorney on NIJC's asylum team, discussed how he heard ICE agents reveal their identity to people in the courthouse as they approached. To inform and empower our community members, NIJC has created a new Know Your Rights resource that outlines the steps that people can take to protect themselves and their loved ones if they have an upcoming immigration court hearing. Access NIJC’s Know Your Rights resource in English or Spanish and read the article by the Chicago Tribune here. |
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Allies demand for Congress to have access to ICE detention facilities Part of Congress' duty is to hold ICE and other agencies accountable and protect people in ICE custody from abuses of power. The law is the law: ICE cannot block Congress from visiting detention facilities, announced or unannounced, and it cannot stop congressional oversight. Read our explainer with ACLU and Detention Watch Network outlining Congress' rights and condemning recent threats against our elected officials for doing their job of overseeing conditions in ICE facilities. |
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Advocates unveil Illinois immigration information website To spread awareness about immigrant rights in Illinois, NIJC and partners, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Illinois Department of Human Services; and the Chicago Mayor’s Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights; created a new website filled with must-know information for people and their families. This new centralized resource makes it easier for our community members to find free and low-cost legal aid, guidance on what to do if they encounter ICE, emergency resources and community help, and more. Visit the new website here. |
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NIJC sues Trump administration to challenge new cuts to vital legal service NIJC and other legal services organizations are suing the government to restore the National Qualified Representative Program (NQRP), a program that funds legal representation for hundreds of people with severe mental illness who are detained by ICE. In ICE detention, people face isolation, lack of access to mental health care, or connection to the outside world. Access to counsel gives them the best chance to exercise their due process rights. IN THE NEWS: In an interview with The Marshall Project, NIJC Staff Attorney David Ruiz-Padilla and his client spoke about the need for NQRP amidst the abusive conditions that people with mental illness face in ICE custody. Read the full article by The Marshall Project and read NIJC's full statement on the lawsuit to save legal services for people with mental illness here. |
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Reporters expose border czar Tom Homan's conflict of interest with ICE detention Our government should not be a revolving door of quid pro quo insiders who profit from traumatizing families and abusing people’s rights. New reporting from The Washington Post reveals border czar Tom Homan’s previous consulting work with GEO Group – one of the biggest beneficiaries from the Trump administration’s mass detention and deportation efforts.
IN THE NEWS: “The connections of top-level officials to the companies directly profiting from ICE detention expansion is illustrative of the perverse influence the private prison industry has over how our taxpayer dollars are spent,” said Jesse Franzblau, NIJC's associate director of policy. Learn more about this gross conflict of interest here. |
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Latest DACA renewal clinic a success This past month, NIJC hosted a DACA renewal clinic in partnership with our pro bono partners at Goldberg Kohn. The room was full of long-time NIJC volunteer attorneys as well as some first-time volunteers. We hold free DACA renewal clinics each month. Check our events calendar for our upcoming clinics and events. |
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Nearly 1,000 people come together to support immigrants at sold-out 26th Annual NIJC Human Rights Awards We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who attended the 26th Annual Human Rights Awards--it was incredibly inspiring and a huge success! Nearly 1,000 community members and more than 100 sponsors stood proudly to support and defend immigrants and due process. We are reinvigorated to continue the fight for justice for all. Congratulations to our awardees: Jewher Ilham, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Zurich North America, Arnold & Porter. Watch NIJC client Heidy's story which premiered at the Human Rights Awards and flip through the digital program booklet. |
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| | NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER
111 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 800 | Chicago, Illinois 60604
immigrantjustice.org |
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