The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) builds a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through ILRC’s policy and advocacy efforts, we promote a vision of racial justice that advances the rights of all immigrants, including those who have had contact with the criminal legal system.
ILRC engages in policy and advocacy throughout the United States with a particular focus on local policy work in Texas, local and state policy work in California, and policy advocacy at the federal level. Our policy and advocacy efforts are guided by three main pillars: 1) dismantling the arrest to deportation pipeline and disrupting racial disparities in the immigration and criminal legal systems; 2) expanding immigration law to improve protections from deportation and access to immigration relief; and 3) preserving and expanding access to legal services and opportunities for citizens and non-citizens to engage in the political process.
Latest Resources
Resources
Resources
Publication Date
09/30/2026
On August, 24, 2026, the ILRC submitted a comment opposing a proposed rule entitled Naturalization Application Fee Adjustments. The rule seeks to raise the application fee for Form N-400 by 75-80% as well as eliminates the fee waiver and fee reduction for naturalization applications. ILRC opposes this rule given that it will create a substantial barrier for low-income naturalization applicants who could be permanently priced out of citizenship.
Resources
Resources
Publication Date
09/30/2026
On September 28, 2026, the ILRC submitted a comment in opposition of an interim final rule (IFR) entitled Affirmative Asylum Referrals without Interview. This rule will deprive many asylum seekers of their ability to fully present their cases at the asylum office and instead, push them into the immigration court backlog where they face and adversarial system and ever-growing due process violations. ILRC also opposes the issuance of this rule without the notice and comment period required by the Administrative Procedures Act.
Resources
Resources
Publication Date
09/30/2026
On September 22, 2026, the ILRC submitted a comment opposing a proposed USCIS rule to increase the filing for for H-1B Visa petitions. The proposed rule set a filing fee of over $100,000 and also proposed to use the USCIS filing fees for other agencies.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
09/16/2026
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted a comment to USCIS opposing proposed changes to Form I-130, which would more than double the form’s length and require additional information from petitioners and beneficiaries, including expanded criminal history, employment, education, and family-history questions.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
08/31/2026
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted a comment strongly opposing the Department of Homeland Security’s Final Rule on “[Immigrant] Registration Form and Evidence of Registration.” The rule expands and formalizes a registration process that could expose millions of immigrants—and potentially U.S. citizens—to increased fear, confusion, racial profiling, and immigration enforcement.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
08/04/2026
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted a comment urging DHS to withdraw its proposed rule that would dramatically restrict access to employment authorization for many immigrants.
Toolkit & Reports
Resources
Publication Date
07/29/2026
This new policy platform examines how the 1996 laws expanded detention, deportation, and family separation – and outlines a vision for a more just and humane future.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
07/08/2026
The comment explains that denying applications after they have already been accepted can result in the loss of filing fees, lengthy delays, and even permanent loss of immigration benefits when eligibility depends on the original filing date.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
07/07/2026
On June 29, 2026, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted comments urging USCIS to withdraw its proposed revisions to Form N-648, the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions used by naturalization applicants seeking a waiver of the English and civics requirements based on disability. ILRC commented that the proposed revisions unlawfully impose new eligibility standards that are not authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, federal regulations, or USCIS's own Policy Manual.
Public Comments / Sign-on Letters
Resources
Publication Date
07/07/2026
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted comments opposing the Department of Homeland Security's proposed rule to increase the filing fee for Form I-246, the Application for a Stay of Deportation or Removal, from $155 to $755. The comment provides that the proposed 387% fee increase is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act because DHS fails to provide a reasoned justification for the increase or adequately consider its devastating impact on immigrants seeking protection from deportation.
FAQs & Explainers
Resources
Publication Date
07/06/2026
For more than two years, advocates have decried Texas SB 4 (2023), a law that creates new state offenses of illegal entry, reentry, and failure to comply with a state removal order. As of May 29, 2026, the law is fully in effect, bringing all Texans and those suspected of being undocumented under the permanent threat of immediate detention and deportation by the state, should they be suspected of violating the law. Texas SB 4 represents an unheard-of state usurpation of federal law, violating constitutional principles and norms that govern how states interact with the federal government. This policy brief breaks down the law and shares how communities can best prepare for a world with Texas SB 4 on the books.
Related Products
Webinar
Webinar
ILRC attorneys will describe how to file requests through the Freedom of Information Act process at USCIS, both online and with a G-639. The speakers will describe recent changes to FOIA processes and policies at all DHS components including CBP, OBIM, and ICE.
Video
Video
In this short video, you’ll hear ILRC Immigration Policy Attorney, Aidin Castillo, offer her personal account about coming to the U.S. as a child, and describe the work that she’s doing to influence immigration reform legislation in Washington D.C.
Webinar
Webinar
This Webinar will offer an overview of the Texas v United States decision and what it means for current DACA recipients and DACA-eligible individuals. We will also provide considerations for practitioners as they advise community members about their legal options and possible next steps in finding a permanent solution.
Webinar
Webinar
Level: AllThis webinar will provide an overview of the regulatory process including finding and commenting on regulations and best practices for crafting comments. Our guest speaker is a former government attorney and expert in regulatory matters who will be providing more in-depth information to the regulatory process and comments practice. We will also highlight immigration regulations that are or are anticipated to be open for comment in the coming months.PresentersPeggy Gleason, Senior Staff Attorney - ILRC