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Urgent and Available Cases

NIJC's network of pro bono attorneys represent asylum seekers, unaccompanied immigrant children, survivors of domestic abuse and low-income individuals applying for naturalization. NIJC screens all cases to ensure individuals are eligible for relief and to prioritize individuals and families who lack the private resources needed to obtain representation elsewhere.

NIJC pro bono attorneys receive training before taking on their first case, and ongoing technical assistance and case support as necessary throughout the life of each case.

Learn about being a pro bono attorney and see the case list for people who need representation.

Asylum: R. is in danger of being sex trafficked in her country of origin

R. speaks Spanish and lives in Chicago

In Venezuela, R. first experienced harm in 2012 when the National Guard killed her brother during a raid. R. and her family pursued a case against the National Guard and received threats from the government. In 2022, R. was raped by her sister’s husband. Then, also in 2022, R. noticed that she was being surveilled. In 2023, several people came into her home and kidnapped her. She was held for seven days with several other women. She discovered that her kidnappers were the Guayana Cartel, and that they planned to traffic her to Brazil for sex work. R. believes that they targeted her because she is an indigenous woman. R.’s mother is from the Guajira indigenous minority in Venezuela, and R. has typical physical attributes associated with indigenous women. The other kidnapping victims held with R. were also indigenous Venezuelan women. During her captivity, R.’s kidnappers fed her just once a day and raped her multiple times. Eventually, R. managed to escape and flee to the U.S.

Deadline: Merits hearing on 10/2/25

Asylum: A and her family seek safety from an abusive partner

A. and her family speak Spanish and live in Central Illinois

A.’s partner abused A. and their children, raped A., and controlled her. He became particularly violent after she gave birth to their second daughter because he was angry that the child was a girl. A. has long-term hearing loss as a result of the abuse. A.’s partner forced her daughter, C., to scavenge for food at a local dump, attempted to sell C. to a drug trafficker, and threatened to rape C. When A. moved with her children to another part of Guatemala, her partner found them and threatened to kill them with the help of his drug trafficking associates. Fearing for their lives, A. fled with B. to the United States, followed separately by C. A.'s two youngest daughters, D. and E., joined them in the United States several years later. 

Deadline: Merits hearing on 8/28/25

Asylum: K. and his family seek protection from gang violence

K. and his family speak Spanish and live in Chicago.

K. and his wife, L., operated a fruit stand in Ecuador. K. and L. were approached by gang members who threatened their lives if they did not give them the money they demanded. K. was physically beaten and robbed by the gang members while trying to protect L. K. and L. paid the gang members for a month up until they ran out of money. K. and L. fled Ecuador with their daughter, M., and arrived in the United States around June 2023.

Deadline: Merits hearing on 10/9/25

"Working with NIJC and its clients has been an incredible personal and professional experience for me. Our clients inspire me with their perseverance and hopefulness. I appreciate the opportunity to assist them as they pursue new pathways in their lives."
Ashleigh Ricardo, Winston & Strawn LLP
 

Pro Bono Spotlight

Thanks to the support of more than 2,000 pro bono attorneys from the nation's leading law firms, NIJC has made critical advances in the lives of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. NIJC provides legal services to more than 9,000 individuals each year and maintains a success rate of 90 percent in obtaining asylum for those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

 

Events

NIJC offers a wide range of immigration law trainings and other opportunities for attorneys to engage with the organization's mission. An attorney taking a case for the first time must attend one of NIJC's quarterly trainings.

 

Federal Litigation

NIJC and its pro bono attorneys are on the vanguard of federal impact litigation and advocacy, setting positive precedents for people seeking human rights protections within the United States and defending against the administration's efforts to undermine access to due process.