Last fall, National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) staff were on the frontlines of Chicago’s response to welcome recently arrived immigrants, who were sent on buses from border cities in Texas. As the buses were making headlines, staff and volunteers from across NIJC and our pro bono network worked with partners across the city and state to provide legal orientations to more than 2,680 people. “ I’m incredibly proud of our staff and the way that people from across NIJC went above and beyond to help us put together this response,” said managing attorney Kate Ramos, who was in charge of coordinating NIJC’s staff response to the new arrivals. “I’m so grateful for everyone who worked one shift, and for everyone who worked dozens, for those who created materials, who coordinated volunteers, who created data management systems or entered data into them. It was truly an organization-wide response.”
NIJC staff were at the city’s reception center every day for months, often supplemented by Spanish-speaking attorneys from NIJC’s pro bono network. Claudia Badillo, of Badillo Law Group, was one of those volunteers. “I heard many heart wrenching stories about families who had been separated and were desperate to be reunited with loved ones.” she said. “NIJC and its volunteers were able to provide migrants with much needed legal information while showing compassion during their difficult journeys. I enjoyed volunteering with NIJC and learned a great deal about the immigration process and the difficult plight of migrants fleeing their home countries for the safety and protection of the United States.” Sidley Austin attorney Tommy Hoyt also volunteered, giving legal orientations to groups of migrants at the welcome center. It was particularly meaningful to him because of the reason he first chose to become an attorney. “I was inspired to apply to law school after seeing lawyers cross police lines to assist detained migrants in the chaos that followed the 2017 Middle Eastern travel ban,” Hoyt said. “In 2022, through Sidley Austin’s pro bono program and NIJC, I provided legal orientations to migrants bussed overnight from Texas to Chicago. The experience made me proud to be a lawyer, a Spanish-speaker, and a Chicagoan.” In addition, to meet rising demand and people arriving at different shelters, NIJC and partners developed a series of welcome videos and orientation materials for people to watch on their own time. NIJC was able to jump into action thanks to the relationships built through a Chicago program that already works with the Chicago immigrant community. The City of Chicago’s Legal Protection Fund was established in 2016. It provides NIJC, The Resurrection Project, and 10 Community Navigator organizations funding to provide legal services and resources to Chicago’s immigrant residents. 
In 2022, the Fund reached more than 25,000 immigrant Chicagoans, including those newly arrived from Texas. By the time the bus response started in October 2022, NIJC staff already had conducted more than 968 legal screenings and provided representation in 1,570 cases, including opening more than 443 new cases. The Legal Protection Fund annual report allows us to go into depth on the incredible work our teams do in the City of Chicago year after year. Our newest report focuses on the Fund’s response to global crises, including the evacuation of Afghanistan, the turmoil of war in Ukraine, and natural and political disasters in other parts of the world. We also shared the stories of clients like Rosa, who finally got her citizenship thanks to NIJC’s advocacy, and Rosalie, who received Temporary Protected Status to keep her in the United States while her asylum application is pending. You can read and learn more about NIJC’s rapid response and the Fund’s work. Thank you for being a part of this compassionate and welcoming community. Alejandra Oliva
NIJC Community Engagement Manager | 
