WHAT WE DO 

Policy Analysis & Advocacy.  With a strong presence in Washington, D.C., NILC develops in-depth analyses of proposed legislative and regulatory changes that advocates and policymakers rely on for accurate, insightful information.  NILC disseminates timely updates and alerts, convenes on-going workgroups of national advocacy organizations and community agencies, and coordinates strategic responses to policy changes.  NILC has been convening biweekly national conference calls on immigrant welfare implementation issues since 1996, and has convened monthly meetings of a national coalition on low wage immigrant workers since 1998.

Impact Litigation.  Over the years, NILC's attorneys have won significant legal victories, including several nationwide injunctions that protect immigrants' access to the courts and their right to due process.  As a result of NILC cases, immigrants in INS detention must be afforded access to an attorney, and children in INS custody must be put in contact with an adult relative or legal service agency who can help them.  Thousands of immigrants have received prenatal care, cancer treatment, and other critical health services for which they are eligible because NILC litigation protected them from months of bureaucratic limbo and faulty INS record-keeping.  We regularly co-counsel with other leading public interest firms, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and with private law firms working pro bono, such as Hogan & Hartson and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe.

Building Coalitions & Capacity.  When authority for implementing welfare policy was devolved to the states in 1996, NILC established formal collaborative relationships with nine state and local immigrant advocacy organizations in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Washington.  Together, these states account for almost three-quarters of the immigrant population in the U.S. Through these collaboratives, NILC enhances efforts to address complex welfare implementation issues and identify policy and service gaps at the local, county, and state levels.  By working closely with local community advocates, NILC facilitates the development of a shared national policy agenda and strengthens the advocacy presence of immigrant rights organizations at the federal level.

Technical Assistance.  In an average month, NILC attorneys respond to almost 500 requests for legal advice and analysis from legal services attorneys, health and social service providers, government workers, community organizers, and legislative staffers.  NILC regularly provides technical review for a wide range of research and advocacy groups, including the Urban Institute, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Families USA, United Jewish Communities, U.S. Catholic Conference, the AFL-CIO, and individual labor unions. NILC also serves as a principal source of information on immigrant issues for the media.  An independent survey conducted for the Ford Foundation reported that major media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, regularly call on NILC to explain the latest policy developments affecting immigrants and refugees.

Trainings and Conferences.  NILC conducts more than 80 trainings and conference presentations annually throughout the country.  We educate local attorneys and advocates about substantive laws and policies affecting their immigrant clients, as well as bring the perspective of low income immigrants to national audiences, such as those attending the annual conferences of the Children's Defense Fund, the National Association of Community Clinics, and the National Council of State Legislatures.  Every two years, NILC sponsors a national immigrants' rights conference in Washington, D.C., which educates more than 400 attorneys and advocates on the latest immigrant benefits and employment issues and provides staff from local and national groups a forum for networking and joint strategy development.

NILC's Website.  Our website contains NILC memos and analyses, articles from our newsletters indexed by topic, community education materials, and links to key organizational and government web sites.  

OUR SUCCESSES

OUR SUPPORTERS