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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. seeks protection for herself and her children from her violent and controlling partner

R. and her children speak Spanish and live in a western suburb of Chicago

R. is a woman from Mexico. R.’s children, N., S., and K., are derivatives on her application for asylum. R.'s father was physically abusive during her childhood. R. met her partner, H., when she was an adolescent. She became pregnant and moved in with him. They had two children together. During R.'s first pregnancy, H. became violent, and he continued to abuse and control her throughout their relationship.  He prevented R. from working or visiting her family, he did not allow her to have a phone, he threatened to kill her if she ever left him, and beat her regularly. R. fled Mexico with her children to escape his abuse.

SIJS: K. and D. petition that their mother should have sole allocation of parental responsibilities, due to their fathers' abandonment

K., D., and their mother speak Spanish and live in northwest Chicago (Cook County)

K. and D. are half-brothers from Mexico, aged 13 and 9. They share the same mother but have different fathers. Both K. and D.'s fathers wplit from their mother when she was pregnant with each of them. K. and D. were never supported emotionally or financially by their fathers, and they do not have relationships with them. D.'s mother came to the United States after fleeing gang threats, and K. and D. followed shortly afterward.

A pro bono attorney will need to file two separate petitions for sole allocation of parental responsibilities on behalf of K. and D.'s mother and obtain orders stating that reunification with K. and D.'s fathers is not viable to due abandonment, and that it is not in K. and D.'s best interest to return to Mexico.

Deadline: Predicate Order filed by 1/5/2025

VAWA: A. seeks safety from her son's emotional, financial, and physical abuse

A. speaks Spanish and resides in Chicago.

A. has been the victim of emotional, financial, and physical abuse by her U.S. citizen son. On one occasion, A.’s son tried hitting her and threw objects at her. A. fled to another room to escape, and her son fled the home. As A. went outside, she witnessed her son damaging the windows of her other son's car. A. called the police and filed a report. A. received counseling to seek support for the violence she has suffered from U.S. citizen son. There is no set deadline.

"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.

There are no upcoming events at this time. Please check back.

 

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.