Contacts:
NIJC Community Engagement Manager Alejandra Oliva, (312) 660-1668 or aoliva@heartlandalliance.org
TRP Immigrant Justice Organizer, Laura Mendoza (312) 919-3067 or lmendoza@resurrectionproject.org
CHICAGO (December 1, 2022) — The City of Chicago Legal Protection Fund has provided more than 30,000 Chicagoans with free legal counsel and immigrant rights education in 2022.
The Fund’s partner organizations provided high-quality resources and legal services in the face of continuing global crises and rapid changes in immigration policy. In its sixth year, the Fund ensured access to legal services for Afghan evacuees, people fleeing the war in Ukraine and unrest in Haiti. In addition, the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) and the Resurrection Project (TRP) and its partners responded to Chicagoans navigating changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as well as newly arrived migrants who came to Chicago this fall on buses from Texas.
Specifically, in the first 10 months of 2022, NIJC conducted more than 968 legal screenings and provided representation in more than 1,570 cases, including representing individuals in more than 443 new cases. NIJC also recently provided over 2,600 newly arrived migrants with legal orientations upon their arrival to Chicago from Texas.
NIJC, TRP and 10 Community Navigator organizations presented more than 850 Know Your Rights sessions to more than 25,319 people.
More details and stories about the Fund’s impact are described in our 2022 annual report released today by NIJC and TRP. Read and download the report at immigrantjustice.org/LPFreport2022.
“We are proud to make Chicago a welcoming city, even as immigration policies rapidly change. With the city’s investment, we have ensured that every Chicagoan has access to essential immigration legal services, making communities safe and our city strong,” said NIJC Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy. “Upholding access to immigration legal services and information about rights is critical to our city’s future.”
“The Chicago Legal Protection Fund partners provide invaluable outreach, education and legal services for the city’s immigrant communities,” said Ere Rendon, Vice-President of Immigrant Justice at The Resurrection Project. This year was particularly crucial as organizations stepped up to demonstrate how a city and state can welcome new immigrants.”
The Fund’s community navigator organizations are: Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Centro Romero, Enlace Chicago, Erie Neighborhood House, Haitian American Museum of Chicago, HANA Center, Indo-American Center, Northwest Center, Southwest Organizing Project, The Resurrection Project, and United African Organization.
###
The National Immigrant Justice Center is a nongovernmental organization dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through a unique combination of direct services, policy reform, impact litigation and public education.
The Resurrection Project is a multifaceted organization that seamlessly blends community development, community organizing, human service delivery, and advocacy to build healthier and engaged communities. TRP provides immigration services and advocacy strategies, creates and preserves affordable housing, provides financial education and counseling, and develops leaders who advocate for improving systems that achieve family stability and create vibrant, healthier and involved communities. For more information about The Resurrection Project, please visit www.resurrectionproject.org.