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About Us

Our Work

Advocacy

ILCM works at the local, state, and federal levels to promote fair and just public policies that support immigrant and refugee communities and protect their rights. ILCM works with the immigrant community, immigrant advocates, nonprofits, business and civic leaders, law enforcement, and policymakers to increase awareness of the contributions and needs of immigrants and refugees and to advocate for equitable, pragmatic, and welcoming policies.  

ILCM has engaged on issues ranging from access to driver’s licenses, healthcare, and legal counsel for noncitizens to the implementation of legal settlements around custody and care of unaccompanied minors. In 2024, ILCM also plans to engage on improving workforce development for immigrants and refugees, reducing barriers to access, and protecting immigrant and refugee rights.

Sign up to receive our Action Alerts on how to take action in support of immigrants and refugees!

Education

ILCM complements its free immigration legal representation with education and training sessions, including Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions and community presentations on a variety of immigration-related subjects. Presentations are tailored to meet the needs of each individual group and provide accurate and up-to-date information. 

Interested in hosting an immigration-related education session? Fill out the ILCM’s Presentation Request Form. 

Legal Projects

ILCM continues to remain flexible and responsive to the legal needs of Minnesota’s immigrant and refugee communities. In 2023, ILCM staff provided services to 3,033 cases across programs.

All clients earned less than 187.5% of the federal poverty guidelines, and came from 102 different countries: 37% of clients originated from Mexico, 18% from Central and South America, 20% from Asia, and 16% from Africa, and the remainder from countries in Europe, Oceania, and North America.

Center for New Americans Collaboration 

  • The Center for New Americans Collaboration is a partnership with the University of Minnesota which supports impact litigation advancing protections on civil rights for immigrants. University faculty and students, pro bono counsel from local law firms, ILCM and other legal nonprofit staff together contribute expertise to the project.  

Citizenship Project 

  • The Citizenship Project focuses on increasing the number of lawful permanent residents in Minnesota who become U.S. citizens and collaborating across sectors to promote the importance of citizenship. ILCM works with clients to file the citizenship application and accompanies applicants to the citizenship interview. Many naturalization cases are placed with private attorneys trained and supervised through our Pro Bono Project. 
  • Naturalization is critical for immigrant families to secure the legal rights and protections of U.S. citizens. Only U.S. citizens are permanently protected from deportation and can vote. U.S. citizen adults are also able to derive citizenship for their children and spouses, which supports family unity and stability. U.S. citizens are better able to access employment and scholarships, enhancing income, career advancement, and associated benefits, such as home ownership, health insurance enrollment, and workforce participation. 

Community Defense Project 

  • The Community Defense Project provides advice and brief service to clients who are detained in custody, represents clients who qualify for asylum or other protections against deportation, and presents appeals to defend the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental liberties of immigrants. 
  • This project accepts calls from immigrants detained in custody, providing advice and brief service to every individual that reaches us. Individuals who qualify for protection and relief may be eligible to receive full representation, where ILCM represents the individual in court and, if necessary, through the appeals process. Oftentimes, people in immigration detention are longtime Minnesota residents, productive employees, and parents of U.S. citizen children, who are detained for a civil crime such as driving without a license and then face deportation proceedings.  

Dreamers Project 

  • The Dreamers Project provides legal representation and outreach for current recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who are eligible to renew their DACA status. 
  • The DACA program de-prioritizes certain immigrants for deportation, granting them a level of stability. DACA recipients are also eligible for a two-year renewable work permit, which allows them to work legally, file taxes, open a bank account, and obtain a driver’s license. Although the recipient is still barred from participation in many benefits programs and is not immune to deportation, DACA status is still life-changing for individuals.  
  • For more information on the current status of DACA, please click here. 

New Beginnings Project 

  • The New Beginnings Project assists immigrant survivors of domestic violence or other serious crimes and their qualified family members in obtaining legal status and gaining self-sufficiency needed to escape a cycle of violence. Survivors receive priority intake at ILCM and are immediately provided with safety planning services and referrals. ILCM then assists many of these vulnerable immigrants and their families in applying for legal status. 
  • If you are in crisis, please call 911, or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224. The hotline has information about shelters, mental health care, legal advice and other types of assistance, including information about filing for immigration status. For more information, visit the National Domestic Violence website. 

North Dakota Immigration Project  

  • The North Dakota Immigration Project provides services to refugees, asylees, and new arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine. It focuses on applications for employment authorization, green cards, and citizenship. This project began in the fall of 2022 when ILCM opened an office in Fargo, North Dakota.  

Pro Bono Project 

  • The Pro Bono Project increases ILCM’s capacity to serve immigrant and refugee communities by recruiting, training, and supervising private attorneys, paralegals, and legal assistants to assist clients in high-demand areas of immigration law.  

Refugee Services Project 

  • The Refugee Services Project collaborates with community organizations in providing immigration legal services and advice to Minnesota’s newest refugees. ILCM supports refugees and asylees from all over the world in applying for lawful permanent resident status. After refugees have been admitted and lived here as legal permanent residents, we also assist them in naturalization, the process of becoming citizens. 
  • Minnesota is a leading refugee resettlement state and is home to some of the largest refugee populations in the nation. Minnesota has the largest Somali population, the largest Karen population, and the second-largest Hmong population (after California) in the United States. 

Rural Immigration Project 

  • The Rural Immigration Project provides legal representation and education to immigrant individuals and families living in Greater Minnesota. This project focuses on providing services in the areas of Minnesota where the highest immigrant and refugee populations reside, and immigration legal services are least available. Services are based out of satellite offices in Austin, Moorhead, and Worthington. The offices opened in 2016, 2015, and 2010 respectively.  
  • ILCM’s work in Mower County is supported in part by a grant from the United Way of Mower County. 

Temporary Protected Status Project 

  • The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Project provides representation for individuals from countries granted TPS from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). TPS is a temporary immigration status for individuals who are unable to return home safely due to civil war, natural disaster, or other conditions or circumstances preventing their return to their home country. During the designated TPS period, TPS holders cannot be deported from the United States and cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of their immigration status. TPS holders are eligible for an employment authorization document (EAD) and for travel authorization.