National Remote Volunteer Opportunities
The ABA Commission on Immigration (COI) provides many opportunities to make an impact through pro bono service, in collaboration with our projects: the Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), located in Houston, TX; the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), located in Harlingen, TX; the Immigration Justice Project (IJP), located in San Diego, CA; and Federal Free Legal Answers, a virtual platform. Our volunteer opportunities range from counsel and advice to full case representation, so you can find something that matches your interests and schedule. Remote and in-person opportunities are available, and include the following:
Virtual Legal Clinic: TPS Clinic for Haitians and Venezuelans
We are proud to partner with a coalition of organizations providing legal support to Haitian and Venezuelan nationals who are seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting a problem that makes it difficult or unsafe for their nationals to be deported there, such as an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. We are seeking volunteers for the virtual TPS Clinic. The clinic is held via Zoom once per month, with appointments scheduled during 3-hour shifts on Thursday afternoons, Fridays, and Saturdays. This opportunity is appropriate for new or experienced attorneys, or law students. Training materials will be provided.
Virtual Counsel and Advice
COI is seeking experienced immigration attorneys to help with ABA Federal Free Legal Answers, an online platform that allows indigent immigrants to ask questions about their cases. Volunteer attorneys can browse the questions and decide which ones to answer, to provide virtual advice and counsel to self-represented litigants in their immigration matters. Federal Free Legal Answers is an easy and convenient way for you to volunteer from your own home, on your own schedule. Your answers make an enormous difference to indigent immigrants who are struggling to navigate the complex immigration legal system.
Represent an Adult or Family Group in Immigration Proceedings
Two of COI’s projects, ProBAR and the Immigration Justice Project (IJP), are seeking volunteers to provide representation to detained and non-detained adult immigrants and family groups in removal defense cases (asylum, withholding, and cancellation of removal), custody petitions (bond and parole), representation before USCIS (asylum, U-Visas, VAWA, and SIJS), and appeals and habeas cases in federal court. Training materials and mentorship are provided. This opportunity is appropriate for new or experienced attorneys.
In addition, COI hosts the innovative Pro Bono Matters for Families Facing Deportation platform, which includes opportunities to help family groups who have been placed on the Family Group Dedicated Docket in eleven cities nationwide. View the platform to see how you can help a family in removal proceedings in a city near you.
Represent Immigrant Youth
The ABA Children’s Immigration Law Academy (CILA), a project of the COI, is an expert legal resource center that empowers advocates who guide children through complex immigration legal procedures. CILA builds capacity for those working to advance the rights of children seeking protection through trainings, technical assistance, and collaboration.
CILA hosts an online platform, Pro Bono Matters for Children Facing Deportation, where nonprofit organizations from across the country post available opportunities for volunteers to assist immigrant children. Click here for current cases that are available through the Pro Bono Matters platform.
To Volunteer: Online Survey Software | Qualtrics Survey Solutions
Contact: Stephanie Baez, Pro Bono Counsel at ImmigrationProBono@americanbar.org
ProBAR seeks pro bono attorneys interested in providing representation to a client in removal proceedings, or who wish to represent a detained migrant in their request for release or appeal, should fill out the form below to express your interest. All representation is currently remote, so no travel to the Rio Grande Valley is necessary at this time. Questions about ProBAR's volunteer programs and opportunities may be directed to volunteer@abaprobar.org.
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The Advocates for Human Rights
The Advocates mobilizes legal professionals throughout the United States to represent adults, families, and children who are fleeing persecution, torture, and trafficking.
We provide pro bono attorneys with the training and support needed to help people seek asylum, reunite with families, obtain a T visa, or seek release from immigration detention.
Case types:
Asylum
Detained Immigrants
Trafficking Survivors
Unaccompanied Minors
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Afghan Diaspora for Equality and Progress
The Afghan Diaspora for Equality & Progress (ADEP) has started a humanitarian parole project, with support from Pangea Legal Services and Centro Legal De La Raza. Together with over 250 volunteers, we are supporting over 1,500 Afghans who are seeking humanitarian parole to the U.S.
LEGAL VOLUNTEERS
Sign up here
Generally, 1 individual's packet is taking 2-5 hours to prepare
***you don't need to be a lawyer! we welcome paralegals, law students, and really anyone with a soul and attention to detail (non-lawyers will be on teams with lawyers)
Training videos and templates are publicly available here from us & the Pars Equality Center, and here from IRAP and others.
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AILA- Immigrant Justice Campaign
Our mission is to fight for a U.S. without immigration detention. We do this by bringing together a broad network of volunteers who advocate for due process and justice for immigrants currently in detention – and who advocate to replace the punitive detention system with a humane approach that includes universal legal representation and other community-based support for individuals during their immigration cases.
The Campaign works with a broad network of pro bono allies to serve detained individuals who would otherwise go unrepresented. And we provide our volunteers with the knowledge and tools to speak out against policies that dehumanize and harm immigrant communities
Contact: campaignwebsite@immcouncil.org
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International Rescue Committee
Volunteers play a critical role in helping refugees and immigrants thrive in the United States. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) offers volunteer opportunities to work remotely and in person (while following COVID-19 precautions). Here’s the process:
• Search our volunteer opportunities
• Apply and attend an IRC orientation
• Be interviewed by IRC staff
• Complete a background check
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KIND - Kids in Need of Defense
The KIND Pro Bono Attorney program is at the core of our work. We recruit volunteer lawyers from law firms, corporations, law schools, and bar associations and provides them with training, mentoring, and other resources to represent children. KIND pro bono attorneys work directly with children to help them build their cases, gain valuable courtroom experience, and develop expertise in a unique area of law. No immigration experience is necessary. Each pro bono attorney is assigned a KIND attorney for the duration of their case who provides guidance on case strategy, feedback on drafts, mock adjudications, samples and checklists.
Contact Person: nnarayan@supportkind.org
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Lawyers for Good Government- Project Corazon
Our Border Rights project provides legal assistance to asylum seekers from the Brownsville / Matamoros border crossing. This includes asylum seekers who were forced to wait in Mexico due to the “Remain in Mexico” policy as well as those who have come to the border after the policy ended. L4GG Border Rights Program is staffed by Director Charlene D’Cruz, Fellow Jessica Riley, and Manager Estuardo Cifuentes. L4GG first developed a hybrid on-site and remote legal program to defend the rights of the families forced to wait in danger in Matamoros. Now, with a still closed border due to the COVID-19 crisis and Title 42, much work is being completed remotely or from the Brownsville side.
Project Corazon provides remote legal assistance to asylum seekers in the United States who want to apply for employment authorization documents (so they can work legally in the U.S. while awaiting the outcome of their asylum cases).
Contact: support@l4gg.org
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As a community-based social and legal services organization, Pars Equality Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to helping the Iranian-American and other immigrant communities realize their full potential as informed, self-reliant, and responsible members of the American society.
Pars Equality Center achieves its mission primarily by providing extensive social and legal services. Our multi-lingual-staff including case managers and attorneys serve the needs of our community by providing a full range of professional social services and legal representation.
Openings in:
Administrative
Volunteer Coordination
Case processing Humanitarian Parole (either as attorney on G-28 or non-attorney doing case prep and sending to Pars for final assembly and G-28 of Pars to be on there).
Intake screening.
Contact Person: salizadeh@parsequalitycenter.org
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