Immigrant Justice Corps welcomes over 130 new lawyers to expand access to justice for immigrants

NEW YORK, June 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) is thrilled to announce our largest class of Fellows ever – over 130 dedicated Justice Fellows joining the fight for immigrant justice in more than 30 states. These exceptional individuals will provide vital legal assistance to immigrants, improving the immigration bar and holding courts and agencies accountable.

The immigration representation crisis in America is a national emergency. Millions face deportation without access to legal representation. With over 3.6 million cases pending in immigration court and hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers with legitimate claims being deported because they cannot find counsel, the work of IJC's Fellows is more important than ever.

In addition to IJC's traditional fellowship program, our partnership with the Acacia Center for Justice will bring the total number of Justice Fellows working with released unaccompanied migrant children to more than 160 Fellows. This partnership expands IJC's footprint and brings us closer to ending the representation gap for children seeking safety and protection in the United States.

"With this record-breaking class, we're not just mitigating a crisis, we're building a movement of the next generation of immigration lawyers and advocates," said Jojo Annobil, IJC's Chief Executive Officer. "This class will expand IJC's reach nationwide, level the playing field, and bring relief to immigrant communities. Together, our Fellows are transforming immigrant lives and advocating for a just immigration system."

The Fellows, recent law school graduates, will serve for two years as staff attorneys at strategically selected immigrant legal services providers and community-based organizations across the country, providing high-quality legal assistance to low-income immigrants in complex immigration matters including removal defense and affirmative applications for those fleeing persecution.

"There is a need for concerted recruitment and retention of new lawyers into the field of immigration legal representation," said Shaina Aber, Executive Director of the Acacia Center for Justice. "Our partnership with IJC helps address the need for new legal talent in the immigration field, part of a holistic strategy to address the legal representation gap, which leaves hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people without access to justice. We are thrilled to welcome this newest cohort of Justice Fellows, many of whom will be advocating for the rights of unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings." 

About IJC

Conceived by the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and incubated by the Robin Hood Foundation in 2014, Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) identifies promising lawyers and advocates passionate about immigration, places them with organizations where they can make the greatest difference and supports them with training and expert insights as they directly assist immigrants in need.

To date, over 400 IJC Fellows have supported more than 100,000 low-income immigrants and their families with a success rate of 90% on cases completed.

SOURCE Immigrant Justice Corps