The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) immigration attorneys’ expertise focuses on family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship, immigration enforcement, and removal defense.
Since 1979 we have helped expand the immigration expertise of attorneys, nonprofit staff, criminal defenders, and others assisting immigrant clients.
In addition to authoring the ILRC’s practice manuals, our expert attorneys have been published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ILW.com, Huffington Post, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Law and Social Policy, The Hill, LexisNexis Emerging Issues, and Fox News Latino.
We have also provided training to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, Federal Bar Association, The State Bar of California, Legal Aid Association of California, Judicial Council of California and more.
In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued its T Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide. The guide, published alongside updated guidance on T visas in the USCIS Policy Manual (USCIS-PM), advises law enforcement agencies on providing T visa certifications, a crucial form of evidence in T visa applications. This practice advisory gives an overview of the resource guide and how practitioners can utilize it to advocate for law enforcement agencies to provide law enforcement certifications to survivors.
Recently, USCIS has conflated guidance for naturalization disability waivers of English and civics with waivers of the oath requirement for persons with disabilities. The confusion stems from USCIS’s addition of a question on oath waivers on the N-648 disability waiver form. These are separate waivers with distinct purposes, legislative histories, and administrative guidance.
This practice advisory will describe the enactment of the oath waiver and current USCIS guidance as well as describe the ways that it is distinct from a waiver of the English/civics requirement.
This practice advisory will describe the enactment of the oath waiver and current USCIS guidance as well as describe the ways that it is distinct from a waiver of the English/civics requirement.
Law enforcement agencies in California have been responding to requests for U visa certifications for many years to allow immigrant survivors of crime and their family members to apply for U nonimmigrant status. However, until 2016 there was no statewide standard or protocol for certifications. Several bills have passed in the meantime to further streamline the process. Most recently, AB 1261 was signed into law in October 2023 and went into effect on 01/01/2024. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center and the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice wrote this advisory to summarize California state laws on U visa certifications, including the newest provisions.
Texas-based organizations comprised of, representing, and serving individuals and communities directly impacted by border enforcement measures write to Texas Members of Congress to seek solidarity and to implore not to worsen the crisis by layering over sweeping new federal border and asylum restrictions. The organizational letter highlights how these changes would have disastrous consequences not only for migrants but for Texas communities, who are presently living under the oppressive and unconstitutional Operation Lone Star.
This Community Alert provides an overview of new eligibility changes for full-scope Medi-Cal for income-eligible Californians, regardless of immigration status. Available for download in English and Spanish.
Criminal Convictions can have serious consequences on peoples’ lives – especially non-citizens who wish to stay in the United States. Many immigration benefits have criminal bars, meaning that certain convictions will prevent you from getting a lawful immigration status, like permanent residence (green card). This Community Explainer offers some options for those who have had certain convictions related to domestic violence or human trafficking, with insights about how to define these crimes, some example scenarios, and explanations about the benefits of a legal tool called a “vacatur.”
This downloadable flyer is designed to raise awareness about the misinformation that often circulates in the undocumented community about the viability of qualifying for lawful permanent resident status solely for having lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years.
If you are hoping to attain lawful permanent resident status (getting a green card) or apply for an immigrant visa as a “child” and your 21st birthday is coming up, read this Community Alert to learn about how changes to USCIS’ interpretation of a law called the Child Status Protection Act might impact you.
ILRC submitted this comment on the many proposed changes to U Visa Forms I-918, I-918A, and I-918B. ILRC commended the agency for many changes, including shortening Forms I-918 and I-918A and removing many questions about rare grounds of inadmissibility. ILRC also provided suggestions for how the agency could further streamline Forms I-918 and I-918A, and raised concerns about the expansion of Form I-918B.
In this issue: highlights from our work against Operation Lone Star, reflections from our NAC Conference in Houston last year, and a summary of our annual Burton Awards ceremony.
This slide deck was created by a coalition of organizers, activists, and attorneys in Texas to be publicly available for use as a resource when conducting know-your-rights presentations on Texas SB 4/ HB 4.
Community leaders, organizers, and activists are welcome to use this full slide deck as provided, or select the slides that are applicable to your presentation needs.
Community leaders, organizers, and activists are welcome to use this full slide deck as provided, or select the slides that are applicable to your presentation needs.
This practice advisory addresses what a practitioner can and should do when DHS submits an I-213 to prove “alienage” or any other facts in a case. After a brief discussion of the purpose of an I-213 and why DHS often submits it during removal proceedings, this advisory discusses objections that practitioners should consider making in order to exclude the I-213 from the record in removal proceedings or, at a minimum, to argue that the I-213 should not be given any significant weight by the immigration judge. It discusses how to overcome the presumption that I-213s are inherently trustworthy and concludes with a synopsis of when and how to submit a motion to suppress in cases involving regulatory or constitutional violations.
This advisory analyzes and explains the particularly serious crime bar to asylum and withholding of removal. It describes the factors to consider in determining whether a crime is a "particularly serious crime" and how to challenge a particularly serious crime determination.
ILRC wrote to USCIS leadership on behalf of local programs representing naturalization applicants with disability waivers in LA County USCIS. Despite major changes to the USCIS Policy Manual and Form N-648 on October 22, 2022, this office of USCIS resists implementation of the new guidance and continues to be dismissive and hostile towards applicants with disability waivers.
Protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) is an important relief option for individuals who are unable to qualify for asylum or withholding of removal. This advisory reviews the legal standard for CAT protection. It also provides an overview of seminal Board of Immigration Appeals and federal circuit court decisions that discuss the various elements of a CAT claim. The end of the advisory contains a useful chart which compares asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT.
Former Immigration Judges with decades of experience as immigration law experts released this statement, stating that the proposed Texas legislation, HB4 & SB4, which would allow a state court magistrate judge to issue a removal order is not lawful.
This is ILRC’s comment on the proposed EOIR rule (the rescission of what we referred to as Trump’s “Death to Due Process Rule”). The Trump rule attempted to change case briefing schedules, case timelines, judges’ control over cases, etc. – all in ways that would make it even harder for folks in immigration court to obtain immigration relief. ILRC has engaged in substantial advocacy to get rid of this rule, including being a plaintiff in the case challenging this Trump rule
AILA, ILRC, CAST, Lucas & Barba LLP, Urban Justice Center, Her Justice, and ASISTA coordinated a stakeholder meeting on May 8, 2023. These unofficial notes capture the questions asked and general information shared by USCIS staff.
ILRC led a sign-on effort to provide comment to USCIS on the proposed changes to Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. The comment, submitted November 7, 2023, received over 120 signatures and requested that the agency revise the form for efficiency and to remove barriers to eligible applicants.