United States of America Pro Bono Directory

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by the United States.

For United States country of information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries and relevant documents, please click here.

As UNHCR statistics generally rely on data from host countries, statistics on refugees alone can give an insufficient account of refugee numbers, as some host countries will not grant refugee status to certain groups. Including statistics for individuals in refugee-like situations is an attempt to account for unrecognised refugees and does not include internally displaced persons. Statistics for stateless refugees are included if available.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, created this website for refugees and asylum seekers in the United States. On this website, you will find information about:

Where you can ask for help in the United States
How you can  apply for asylum in the United States
What  rights and duties you have as a refugee or as an asylum seeker in the United States
UNHCR’s role and activities in the United States
Contact information for our office

*Afghan nationals seeking relocation to the US

The Department of State has introduced a Priority 2 (P-2) designation granting U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) access for certain Afghan nationals and their eligible family members. The U.S. objective remains a peaceful, secure Afghanistan. However, in light of increased levels of Taliban violence, the U.S. government is working to provide certain Afghans, including those who worked with the United States, the opportunity for refugee resettlement to the United States. This designation expands the opportunity to permanently resettle in the United States to many thousands of Afghans and their immediate family members who may be at risk due to their U.S. affiliation but who are not eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because they did not have qualifying employment, or because they have not met the time-in-service requirement to become eligible. Access to the USRAP is a critical mechanism to provide protection for these individuals. The Afghan P-2 designation permits U.S. government agencies, U.S.-based NGOs, and U.S.-based media organizations to refer Afghans (and family members: spouse and children of any age, whether married or unmarried) who fall into the below three categories for P-2 USRAP access:

Afghans who do not meet the minimum time-in-service for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) but who work or worked at any time as employees of contractors, Locally Employed (LE) Staff, interpreters/translators for the U.S. government, United States Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), or Resolute Support;
Afghans who work or worked at any time for a U.S. government-funded program or project in Afghanistan supported through a U.S. government grant or cooperative agreement;
Afghans who are or were employed in Afghanistan by a U.S.-based non-governmental or media organization.

For additional information on, and those interested and/or fall into any of the above categories, here is the Information for Afghan Nationals Regarding Priority 2 (P-2) Designation

The Immigration Advocates Network have launched a national directory of nonprofit immigration legal service providers in the USA available here .

Human Rights First have created a flowchart of the asylum system in the USA .

The United States Department of Justice website also keeps an updated list of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers available here. The full List is divided into separate sections that correspond to the individual immigration courts around the country.

The National Immigration Project of National Lawyers Guild is starting up a new list serv to discuss issues pertaining to noncitizens with mental competency issues.

ALASKA

Catholic Social Services, Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services (RAIS)

www.cssalaska.org
3710 E. 20th Ave, Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Tel: +1 (907)-222-7300
Services Director Email: ispatrisano@cssalaksa.org
General Contact Email: info@cssalaska.org

Catholic Social Services is a non-profit, non-governmental agency and the RAIS program is one program within the agency. RAIS offers the only refugee resettlement services in the state of Alaska. Services include reception and placement for newly arriving refugees, distribution of benefits for eligible refugees and asylees including limited financial support, case management and employment placement services. In addition, the program has BIA (Board of Immigration Appeals) accredited representatives who provide legal assistance for refugees applying for adjustment of status (to permanent residency) and citizenship applications.

ARIZONA

People Helping People in the Border Zone (PHP)

www.phparivaca.org
Arivaca Humanitarian Aid Office
PO Box 826, Arivaca, AZ 85601
Tel: +1-520-398-3093
Email: phparivaca@gmail.com
Aid Office Hours: 10am-1pm daily Monday to Friday

People Helping People was formed in 2012 by a core group of Arivaca residents involved in providing humanitarian aid on the US/Mexico border. People Helping People is involved in several community projects. The organisation partner with No More Deaths/No Más Muertes to run a humanitarian aid office in Arivaca, AZ where they distribute information on humanitarian aid and legal rights and do offer contacts for the Florence Project and No More Deaths’ lawyers to legally protected persons. The office is staffed 5 days a week by trained local volunteers. All of our volunteers are very knowledgeable and friendly. The office is a safe place to ask questions or voice concerns about providing aid to travellers or dealing with border patrol. People can come into the office to report both border patrol abuse or harassment and abuse to themselves or to others. We are currently working with the American Civil Liberties Union and the NMD Abuse Doc. Team to document these cases. The organisation also hosts events and educational workshops such as Know Your Rights Training, Medical Training, Spanish Classes, and various presentations about the border/prison industrial complex and other border crises topics.

CALIFORNIA

Pro Se Asylum Guide for court proceedings before San Francisco Immigration Court

If you are an asylum seeker with no legal representation in the USA, and specifically if your proceedings are before the San Francisco Immigration Court, The Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic has created a Pro Se Asylum G uide in English and Spanish . The Pro Se Asylum Guide is a usable and interactive guide tailored to the specific needs of individuals with asylum cases in San Francisco Immigration Court, a document that can be used by anyone, with simple language, clear examples, worksheets and charts for individuals to fill out to organize the information in their own cases, and sample forms (such as cover letters and applications). It aims to assist those that cannot afford to hire a private attorney and unable to attain assistance from non-profits.

Asylum Access

www.asylumaccess.org
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C/O Port Workspaces 344 Thomas L Berkley Way Oakland, CA 94612
Tel.: +1-510-891-8700
Contact(s): Emily Arnold-Fernandez,
Email: emily@asylumaccess.org ,

Asylum Access is an innovative, US-based, international nonprofit dedicated to making refugee rights a reality in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We provide legal information, advice and representation directly to refugees in their first countries of refuge, and advocate for the rights of refugees worldwide.

Asylum Access also fosters the development of local refugee rights projects that give refugees on-the-ground access to legal advocates in their first countries of refuge. With the oversight of a local director, these organizations implement Asylum Access’s Legal Aid program, providing legal information, advice and representation to refugees seeking asylum or striving to assist other rights. Refugee rights projects also implement Asylum Access’s Policy, Advocacy and Community Education programs.

Please Note: The Asylum Access office in California is the headquarters of the Asylum Access network, not a direct service provider. Asylum Access does not serve refugees located in the United States. However, our network of organizations serves refugees located in Ecuador, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Tanzania, and Thailand. You can find contact information for these Asylum Access locations on the associated country pages of this website, or you can contact headquarters at the info@asylumaccess.org email account to be directed to the appropriate location.

Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration (ORAM)

https://oramrefugee.org/
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USA Office: 615 1st Avenue NE, Suite 500, Minneapolis, MN, 55413
Europe Office: ORAM gGmbH, Sony Center, WeWork, D, Kemperplatz. 1, 10785 Berlin
Email: oraminfo@oramrefugee.org

Founded in 2008, ORAM – the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration is a pioneer in advocating for the protection and well-being of extremely vulnerable LGBTIQ refugees and asylum seekers globally. With the help of supporters and partners, ORAM provides legal assistance, advances economic inclusion through livelihood programs, build coalitions, champions the rights of LGBTIQ asylum seekers and refugees on the global stage, provide critical emergency response to the communities they serve and promotes sustainable solutions. Visit their online resource pages at https://oramrefugee.org/seeking-help/ .

ILLINOIS

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights

www.heartlandalliance.org/
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208 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60604
Tel: +1-312-660-1300
Fax: +1-312-660-1500
Contact link: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/about/contact/
Contact person: Mary Meg Mccarthy

Heartland Alliance provides legal protection both domestically and internationally to ensure human rights protections and access to justice for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Heartland Alliance’s domestic legal protection programmes include:

The Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) provides direct legal services to and advocates for immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers
Violence Recovery Services for children and adults each year who are victims of domestic and sexual violence in the City of Chicago.
Heartland Alliance runs a nationally recognized centre for unaccompanied immigrant children who seek to be reunited with their families.

National Immigrant Justice Center, A Heartland Alliance Partner (NIJC)

www.immigrantjustice.org
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224 S Michigan Ave, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60604
Tel: +1-312-660-1370
Fax: +1-312-660-1505

NIJC represents low-income immigrants in all non-employment based immigration matters, including asylum applications. NIJC staff and pro bono attorneys working with NIJC represent hundreds of asylum applicants each year in addition to providing legal counsel in thousands of non-asylum immigration matters. NIJC only represents asylum applicants (refugee claimants present in the U.S. or at its borders), and not refugees outside the U.S. They have produced a booklet on the asylum process in the USA, Know Your Rights: Information Packet About Detention, Deportation, and Defenses Under U.S. Immigration Law .

MASSACHUSETTS

Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC)

www.law.harvard.edu/academics/clinical/hirc/index.html
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Harvard Law School, 1563 Massachusetts Ave., Pound Hall 408, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: +1-617-384-8165
Email: hirc@law.harvard.edu

The Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRC), in partnership with Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), has worked with hundreds of immigrants and refugees since its founding in 1984. HIRC combines the representation of individual applicants for asylum and related relief with the development of theories and policy relating to asylum law. HIRC students take the lead in representing clients from all over the world who are seeking protection from human rights abuses in their country of origin, protection from exile after years of living in the United States, or reunification with their families.

Ascentria Care Alliance

https://www.ascentria.org/about
11 Shattuck Street, Worchester, MA 01605
Tel: +1-774-243-300
Email: https://www.ascentria.org/about/contact-us

The Immigration Legal Assistance Project of Lutheran Social Services (LSS) provides free and low-cost legal services to immigrants state-wide. They also offer resettlement services, English classes, and more. LSS’s legal services include: Pro bono and low-cost legal representation for asylum seekers, unaccompanied minors, and/or victims of violent crime, domestic violence, or human trafficking; Legal consultations in complicated immigration cases; Assistance to complete immigration applications/petitions; Assistance to apply for citizenship, including continuing mentorship and interview preparation; Assistance with family reunification; Referrals to pro-bono and low-cost immigration attorneys; and Referrals to social services providers as appropriate.

RefugePoint

www.refugepoint.org
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689 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd floor Cambridge MA 02139
Tel: +1-617-864-7800
Email: info@refugepoint.org

RefugePoint’s urban refugee assistance program provides holistic case management services to Nairobi’s most vulnerable refugees. Services include emergency food assistance, safe shelter and rent support, and psychosocial counselling and therapy. Please note that at this time RefugePoint is not taking any walk-in clients.

Pair Project

https://www.pairproject.org/
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98 North Washington Street, Suite 106, Boston Ma 02114
Tel:+1- 617-742-9296
Fax: +1-617-742-9385
Asylum Email: jreyes@pairproject.org
Detention Email: enoureddine@pairproject.org

The Political Asylum/ Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project provides free legal services to asylum seekers and promotes the rights of detained immigrants.

MICHIGAN

Lemkin House

http://lemkinhouse.org/
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817 Livingston NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503
Tel : +1-269 599-6951
info@lemkinhouse.org
Email contact: Maia Storm – maia.storm@gmail.com

Lemkin House provides asylum-seekers in West Michigan a safe place to stay and prepare their cases while they undergo the difficult legal and mental transition from asylum-seeker to refugee. It also provides legal assistance to asylum seekers who do not need a place to stay, but who lack financial resources.

MINNESOTA

Advocates for Human Rights

www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/

330 Second Avenue South, Suite 800, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
Tel: +1-612)-341-3302
Client Line: +1-612-341-9845
Fax: +1-612-341-2971
Email: laura.a.young@gmail.com
General Inquiries: hrights@advrights.org

The Advocates for Human Rights seeks to promote and protect the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants. They monitor immigration-related legislation in Minnesota and the U.S.and regularly reports on U.S. compliance with human rights obligations including due process, freedom from arbitrary detention, respect for the unity of the family, protection of refugees, and protection of workers.
Volunteers, supported by expert staff, work with victims of human rights abuses as attorneys, mentors, medical and psychological experts, and interpreters in asylum cases. The Advocates also serves clients for free through legal advice through walk-in legal clinics and through the Minnesota Detention Project for consultations for detained immigrants.

Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)

http://www.cvt.org
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U.S. Headquarters

2356 University Avenue West, Suite 430, St. Paul, MN 55114
Tel: +1 612 43 64 800
Client Services: +1-612-436-4840
Toll-free: +1-877-265-8775
Email: cvt@cvt.org

St. Paul Healing Center

649 Dayton Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55104
Fax: +1-612-436-2604

Washington D.C. Office

1015 15 ^th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: +1-202-822-0188

The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan, humanitarian organisation that helps to rebuild the lives of refugees and communities affected by war. It provides mental health services to refugees and survivors in post-conflict situations who suffer from the effects of torture and trauma; trains local staff to be paraprofessional Psychosocial Counsellors (PSCs) to act as peer counsellors and builds the capacity of community leaders, teachers, health care workers to recognize the effects of trauma. They also have offices abroad in Ethiopia, Jordan, and Kenya.

NEBRASKA

Sokpoh Law Group

http://scolawgroup.com
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10730 Pacific Street, Suite 35, OMAHA, NE 68114
Tel: +1-402-858-2020
Fax: +1-402-403-1330
Email: Karine@scolawgroup.com, info@402legal.com

Sokpoh Law Group provides immigration assistance including legal representation in asylum and refugee cases. The firm provides pro bono consultations to individuals that contact us through the Rights in Exile Programme. Sokpoh Law Group will also evaluate cases and provide representation on a pro-bono or reduced costs basis, on a case by case basis, based on income.

NEW JERSEY

First Friends of New Jersey and New York

https://firstfriendsnjny.org/
53 So. Hackensack Ave, Kearny, NJ 07032
Tel: +1-908-965-0455
Email: info@firstfriendsnjny.org

The focus of First Friends is to Visit non-criminal detainees at the Elizabeth Detention Center (EDC), in the Hudson County Corrections Center (HCCC), the Bergen County jail, and Essex County Correctional Center. They provide training for those willing to visit detainees; speak to groups on detention or immigration reform; collaborate with partner organisations seeking humane treatment of all detainees, and the end of detainment for asylum seekers; work nationally on behalf of comprehensive immigration reform; organise demonstrations to keep the plight of detainees in the news, Invite you to join our efforts.

NEW MEXICO

Santa Fe Dreamers Project

http://www.santafedreamersproject.org/
PO Box 8009 Santa Fe, NM 87504
Tel: +1-505-490-2789
Email: info@santafedreamersprojects.org

Santa Fe Dreamers Project is a non-profit legal services organization serving New Mexico’s immigrant community. Since 2014, the Dreamers Project has served primarily immigrant youth and families, focusing on economic and community development. They offer domestic, immigration, and asylum legal services. Santa Fe Dreamers Project is committed to representing every qualified immigrant who walks through our doors. They make every effort to understand the barriers that normally prevent immigrant families in our community from accessing legal representation and design our services with those barriers in mind.

New Mexico Immigrant Law Centre

http://nmilc.org/
625 Silver Ave. SW, Suite 410 Albuquerque, NM 87102
Tel: +1-505-247-1023
Fax: +1-505-633-8056
Email: info@nmilc.org

Founded in 2010, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center is dedicated to preventing the separation of families due to deportation. In addition to ensuring family unity, we seek to strengthen immigrant families by advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their families. NMILC envisions a New Mexico in which all people – regardless of their race, immigration, or economic status – have equal access to justice, as well as access to education, government resources, and economic opportunities, and are able to engage fully in the civic and economic life of our neighbourhoods and community. Access to high-quality immigration services provided by NMILC enables immigrants to obtain legal status that can lead to better jobs, access to credit and bank accounts, reunification with family members, access to healthcare, increased educational opportunities for children and adults, and full participation in the civic life of our neighbourhoods and communities. While gaining immigration status brings a certain level of economic and family stability, naturalization creates opportunities for newcomers to fully participate in the civic life of their communities.

NEW YORK

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)

refugeerights.org
Address: One Battery Park Plaza, 4 ^th Floor New York, NY 10004
Contact persons:

Becca Heller, Director
Email: bheller@iraqirefugee.us

General Contact Email: inquires@refugeerights.org

IRAP is a legal aid organisation that assists refugees and special immigrant visa applicants in the Middle East and Afghanistan. They cannot provide financial assistance or other benefits. They do not make any decisions concerning resettlement and they are completely independent of UNHCR and national governments. Any information sent to IRAP is highly confidential, and all services are free of charge. IRAP provides free legal services to refugees seeking refugee protection and resettlement. Here are a few types of assistance that IRAP provides.

Refugees in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. They can help individuals gather documents and present their refugee claim prior to IOM or USCIS interviews. If they are denied, they can review to see if they can assist with a Request for Review, including written counselling for individuals with security-related reasons (“Other”) denials.
Iraqis with U.S. employment or U.S. family affiliations. They help Iraqis apply to the Direct Access Program (DAP) administered by IOM. Their volunteers help locate employment verification. Additionally, they can coordinate with US relatives of Iraqis who may be able to file family-based immigration petitions for DAP.
Afghans or Iraqis with U.S. employment applying for Special Immigrant Visa programs. They assist Afghans and Iraqis with all stages of the SIV process, including locating former US supervisors and preparing application documents.
UNHCR Assistance. They can assist very vulnerable people in requests for recognition as refugees, including appealing rejections from UNHCR refugee recognition. For exceptionally vulnerable cases, and in cooperation with local UNHCR offices, they can refer a case to UNHCR to request protection services. The decision regarding any follow-up ultimately rests with UNHCR.

To contact them, send an email with your full name, telephone number, email address and a brief description of your need for legal services in English or Arabic to info@refugeerights.org . They are not able to assist everyone who contacts them, and emailing them does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Cornell Law School Immigration Clinic

https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinical-program/1l-immigration-law-and-advocacy-clinic/
Contact Persons: Steve Yale-Loehr
Email: SWY1@cornell.edu

In the Cornell Law School immigration clinic, law students under the supervision of the clinic directors represent immigrants fleeing persecution in their appeals before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). The immigration clinic seeks two types of asylum or CAT cases. First, they seek to represent respondents who have lost their asylum or CAT claim at the BIA and would like to appeal to the applicable Federal Court of Appeals. Second, they seek interesting asylum or CAT cases on appeal to the BIA. They are particularly interested in cases that have the potential to create a good precedent or provide a strong basis for challenging existing negative precedent. The clinic starts at the end of January and ends May 1, so they can only accept cases where briefs are due between mid-March and the end of April.

Human Rights First

www.humanrightsfirst.org/
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NEW YORK

75 Broad St, 31st Floor, New York, NY 10004
Tel: +1 212-845 5200
Fax: +1 212-898-1301

WASHINGTON, D.C.

805 15th Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005-2207
Tel: +1 202-547 5692
Fax: +1 202- 217-2661

Los Angeles

3680 Wilshire Blvd, Ste PO4-414 Los Angeles, CA 90010
Tel: +1 213-294-2648
Fax: +1 213-402-2512

Human Rights First is a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organization with offices in New York and Washington D.C. Volunteer lawyers at the Refugee Representation Program at Human Rights First help asylum seekers in the U.S. with asylum cases. Human Rights First collaborates with pro-bono lawyers who provide legal support for asylum seekers in the United States of America. To learn more about their services see: http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/our-work/refugee-protection/probono-program/

Immigration Advocates Network

Pro Bono Resource Center

www.immigrationadvocates.org/probono

Nonprofit Resource Center

www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/
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151 West 30th Street  10th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Tel: +1-212-760-2554 (ext.) 481
Fax: +1-212-760-2557

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) is a collaborative effort of leading immigrants’ rights organisations (*) designed to increase access to justice for low-income immigrants and strengthen the capacity of organisations serving them. IAN promotes more effective and efficient communication, collaboration, and services among immigration advocates and organisations by providing free, easily accessible and comprehensive online resources and tools. The Network does not provide legal referrals or direct legal services.

Immigration Equality

www.immigrationequality.org
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Immigration Equality, Inc., 40 Exchange Place, Suite 1300, New York, NY 10005
Tel: +1-212-714-2904
Fax: +1-212-714-2973
Email: legal@immigrationequality.org

Immigration Equality is a national organisation that advocates for full equality for LGBT and HIV-positive individuals under U.S. immigration law. They do both policy work on the Uniting American Families Act, the HIV ban, and other issues, and in the area of asylum they do direct legal representation, run a pro bono project, and provide mentoring for other attorneys. LGBT foreign nationals are provided with up-to-date information about immigration law via training, informational materials, and by answering email and telephone inquiries. Immigration Equality run a pro bono asylum project to assist LGBT and HIV-positive asylum seekers to find free or low-cost legal representation. They provide technical assistance to lawyers working on sexual orientation, transgender identity, or HIV status-based asylum applications, or other immigration applications where the client’s LGBT or HIV-positive identity is at issue in the case. They also maintain a list of LGBT/HIV-friendly private immigration attorneys to provide legal representation for those who contact them. Please contact them at the details above.

Physicians for Human Rights

http://physiciansforhumanrights.org
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Contact form can be found here

NEW YORK

256 W 38th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10018
Tel.: +1-646-564-3720
Fax: +1-646-564-3750

WASHINGTON, D.C.

1100 13th Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: +1-202-728-5335
Fax: +1-202-728-3053

Boston

434 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 503, Boston, MA 02118
Tel: +1 617-301-4200
Fax: +1 617-301-4250

Physicians for Human rights is a non-profit, non-sectarian organisation that mobilises health professionals in order to investigate the health consequences of human rights violations and work to stop them. Their ‘ Asylum Program ’ aims to assist torture survivors and other noncitizens seeking safe haven in the United States. Physicians for Human rights specialise in conducting forensic psychological and physical evaluations to document evidence of torture and abuse. The medical-legal affidavits that they submit to courts on behalf of survivors are frequently the determining factor when judges grant asylum or other relief from deportation.

Pro Bono Net

www.probono.net/ or www.probono.net/asylum/
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151 West 30th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Tel: +1 212-760-2554
Fax: +1 212-760-2557
Email: info@probono.net

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organisation based in New York City and San Francisco. We work in close partnership with nonprofit legal organisations across the United States and Canada, to increase access to justice for the millions of poor people who face legal problems every year without help from a lawyer. Pro Bono Net also has a section entitled ‘asylum’ for lawyers who are providing pro bono assistance to people seeking asylum in the U.S. Pro Bono Net does not provide legal referrals or direct legal services.

OREGON

Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW)

http://www.lcsnw.org/
4040 S 188th St, Suite 300, SeaTac, WA 98188
Tel: +1 206-901-1685
Fax +1 206-244-7547
Contact Person: Salah Ansary, Regional Director
Email: sansary@lcsnw.org

Lutheran Community Services Northwest (LCSNW) provides services for refugees and immigrants. Since 1975, LCSNW has resettled more than 35,000 refugees in the northwest US. We provide case management, employment, citizenship, immigration legal counselling, elders services, and refugee unaccompanied minor program. Our refugee resettlement program has offices in Portland, Vancouver and Seattle.

TEXAS

American Gateways

https://americangateways.org/
Email: claudiag@americangateways.org, info@americangateways.org

AUSTIN

314 E. Highland Mall Boulevard, Suite 501
Austin TX 78752-3733
Tel: +1-512-478-0546 ext, 200
Fax: +1-512-387-2650

SAN ANTONIO

2300 W. Commerce Street, Suite 313 San Antonio, TX, 78207
Tel: +1-210-521-4768 ext.232
Fax: +1-210-625-6797

WACO

2323 Columbus Avenue, Suite C Waco, Texas 76701
Tel: +1-254-230-0382 ext. 264
Fax: +1-512-387-2650

American Gateways has served the Central Texas immigrant community since 1987. Founded as the Political Asylum Project of Austin (PAPA), they began as a dedicated group of volunteers working to serve the increasing number of refugees fleeing war in Central America. Since then they have grown to provide a broad range of immigration legal services to low-income individuals and families throughout the region. American Gateways is also the only nonprofit in the state to provide legal orientation, immigration workshops, and pro bono legal representation at four immigrant detention facilities

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services

https://www.raicestexas.org/
Multiple offices (Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Warth, Houston, Rural Services, San Antonio)
Contact form

The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) is a nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. With legal services, social programs, bond assistance, and an advocacy team focused on changing the narrative around immigration in this country, RAICES is operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights.

VIRGINIA

Tahirih Justice Center

http://www.tahirih.org/

National and Greater DC Offices

6400 Arlington Blvd, Ste. 400, Falls Church, VA 22042
Tel:+1 571-282-6161
Fax: +1 571-282-6162
Email: justice@tahirih.org
9:30am-5:00p, Monday-Friday

Atlanta Office

230 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1960, Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel: +1 470-481-4700
Fax: +1 470-481-4700
Email: atlanta@tahirih.org
9:30am-5:00pm Monday-Friday

Baltimore Office

211 E. Lombard St. Suite 307 Baltimore, MD 21202
Tel: +1 410-999-1900
Fax: +1 410-630-7539
Email: baltimore@tahirih.org
10am-2pm Tuesdays

Houston Office

1717 St. James Place, Suite 450, Houston, TX 77056
Tel: +1 713-496-0100
Fax: +1 713-481-1793
Email: houston@tahirih.org
9am-5:30pm Monday-Friday

San Francisco Bay Area Office

881 Sneath Lane, Suite 115, San Bruno, CA 94066
Tel: +1 650-270-2100
Fax: +1 650-466-0006
Email: SFBayAREA@tahirih.org
9am-5:30p, Monday-Friday

Tahirih Justice Center was founded after Layli Miller-Muro, Executive Director helped win asylum for Fauziya Kassindja in the first-ever victory in a gender-based asylum case. With this rich legacy, Tahirih remains committed to ensuring consistency and fairness in the adjudication of asylum claims for women and girls seeking protection from gender-based persecution. Thanks to their award-winning pro bono program, Tahirih represents hundreds of asylum seekers each year, seeking to push the envelope through, especially challenging cases. Tahirih partners with major law firms and other advocates to file amicus briefs in asylum cases from around the country and engage in both federal administrative and legislative advocacy to seek improvements in the asylum system to better protect women and girls fleeing violence. They also have offices in Houston, Texas, Maryland and Baltimore.

WASHINGTON DC

The Detention Watch Network

www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/
1915 St. NW, 8th Floor, Washington DC, 20006
Email: program@detentionwatchnetwork.org

Detention Watch Network (DWN) works through the collective strength and diversity of its members to expose and challenge the injustices of the U.S. immigration detention and deportation system and advocate for profound change that promotes the rights and dignity of all persons.

Campaigns Email: campaign@detentionwatchnetwork.org
Media Email: media@detentionwatchnetwork.org
Membership Email: membership@detentionwatchnetwork.org

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)

www.supportkind.org/en/
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1201 L Street, NW, Floor 2, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: +1 (202) 824-8680
Email: info@supportKIND.org

ATLANTA, GA

Office Email: infoatlanta@supportkind.org

BALTIMORE, MD

Office Email: infobaltimore@supportkind.org

Contact person: Emily Kephart
Email: ekephart@supportkind.org

BOSTON, MA

Office Email: infoboston@supportkind.org

Contact person: Laurie Carafone
Email: lcarafone@supportkind.org

HOUSTON, TX

Office Email: infohouston@supportkind.org

Contact person: Jenny Regueiro
Email: jregueiro@supportkind.org

Contact person: Christina Avalos
Email: cavalos@supportkind.org

LOS ANGELES, CA

Office Email: infolosangeles@supportkind.org

Contact person: Rosalind Oliver
Email: roliver@supportkind.org

NEWARK, NJ

Office Email: infonewark@supportkind.org

Contact person: Sarah Plastino
Email: splastino@supportkind.org

Contact person: Vanessa Lucas
Email: vlucas@supportkind.org

NEW YORK, NY

Office Email:infonewyork@supportkind.org

Contact person: Wendy Wylegala
Email: wwylegala@supportkind.org

Contact person: Vanessa Lucas
Email: vlucas@supportkind.org

SEATTLE, WA

Office Email:infoseattle@supportkind.org

Contact person: Rebekah Fletcher
Email: rfletcher@supportkind.org

Contact person: Melissa Galarraga
Email: mgalarraga@supportkind.org

Contact person: Jami Colina
Email: jcolina@supportkind.org

Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) is a nonprofit organization that helps provide pro bono quality legal representation to unaccompanied refugees in the United States. KIND was founded by the UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and the Microsoft Corporation and serves as the leading organization for the protection of unaccompanied children who enter the US immigration system alone. KIND’s aim is to ensure legal representation for all unaccompanied children who appear in immigration court. The organization has offices in Baltimore, Boston, Houston, Newark, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington DC.

Refugee Council USA

www.rcusa.org
Facebook | Twitter
1628 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Tel: +1 202-319-2102
Fax: +1 202-319-2104
Email: info@rcusa.org

RCUSA provides information on refugee rights and the resettlement process. They also engage in advocacy on issues affecting the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, victims of trafficking, and victims of torture in the United States and across the world.

In light of the recent events in Afghanistan, RCUSA has launched the Afghan Response web hub. This web hub is a collection of resources for Afghans seeking assistance, and actions individuals, organizations, and elected officials can take to support vulnerable Afghans. The Afghan Response page is accessible here.

ANTI-FGM/C ORGANISATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

African Women’s Health Center (AWHC)

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Departments_and_Services/obgyn/services/africanwomenscenter
Brigham and Women’s Hospital 2013 | 75 Francis Street, Boston MA 02115
Tel: +1 617-732-4740
Email: africanwomen@partners.org

The overall mission of the AWHC is to improve the health of refugee and immigrant women who have undergone FGM/C. It provides access, understanding and community to women who have long-term complications from this tradition and who seek reproductive health care. The AWHC also offers reconstructive surgery.

AHA Foundation

www.theahafoundation.org
130 7th Avenue, Suite 236, New York, NY 10011
Email: info@theahafoundation.org

The AHA Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a women’s rights activist. The AHA Foundation advocates to expand and strengthen federal and state laws in the US that help protect women and girls FGM/C, honour violence, forced marriage and other issues that impact the well-being and threaten lives of women and girls.

LGBTI ORGANISATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Immigration Equality

www.immigrationequality.org
Immigration Equality, Inc., 40 Exchange Place, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10005
Tel: +1 (212) 71 42 904
Fax: +1 315-825-4058
Email: legal@immigrationequality.org

A Guide to Claiming Asylum in the United States

A guide by the American Immigration Center on how to be granted asylum in the United States through two different paths to claiming asylum.

MICHIGAN

Lemkin House

http://lemkinhouse.org/
Facebook
817 Livingston NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503
Tel : +1-269 599-6951
info@lemkinhouse.org
Email contact: Maia Storm – maia.storm@gmail.com

MINNESOTA

Advocates for Human Rights

NEBRASKA

Sokpoh Law Group

http://scolawgroup.com
Facebook | Twitter
10730 Pacific Street, Suite 35, OMAHA, NE 68114
Tel: +1-402-858-2020
Fax: +1-402-403-1330
Email: Karine@scolawgroup.com, info@402legal.com