ABOUT THE ILRC
The ILRC is a national resource center that provides trainings, materials and advocacy to advance immigrant rights. As a legal services organization, we train lawyers and paralegals on ever-changing and complex immigration law. We develop leadership by encouraging immigrants to play leading roles in confronting and reshaping the laws and policies that perpetuate racial, economic and social injustice. And we educate and empower those in the immigrant community so that they may organize and advocate for the rights and privileges that best define our democratic traditions.
For more information about the ILRC's mission, history, and areas of expertise and services, read below. You can also download our brochure or Beyond Traditional Lawyering, a monograph on the ILRC’s efforts to promote immigrant participation in American democracy. View current and archived copies of the ILRC’s biannual newsletter, The Immigrant Advocate. Find out about our annual awards ceremony, the Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards, which seeks to honor leaders in the field of immigrant rights, policy and advocacy. Explore opportunities to volunteer or support our work by making a donation.
The ILRC works with immigrants and citizens to make critical legal assistance and social services accessible to all, regardless of income, and to build a society that values diversity and respects the dignity and rights of all people.
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center was founded in 1979 by Bill Hing, a well-known immigrant rights advocate who recognized the developing need for expert technical assistance in immigration law and policy. In the mid-1970's, at a time when legal service agencies weren’t focusing on immigration law, Bill responded by organizing the Golden Gate Immigration Clinic, an agency originally staffed by law students. This early experience revealed that Bay Area community-based organizations serving immigrants and refugees lacked adequate training and staffing to grapple with the increasingly complex legal and social challenges faced by their clients. As a result, the agency became the ILRC in 1979 and Bill served as the organization's first Executive Director on a volunteer basis from 1979 to 2000.
The ILRC is a national expert on a wide range of issue areas. The ILRC’s expertise and services include:
- Family-based immigration visas and adjustment of status
- Family unity policy
- Naturalization and citizenship
- Political asylum
- Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act
- Deportation and inadmissibility
- Cancellation of removal
- Waivers of the grounds of inadmissibility and deportation
- Immigration relief for abused immigrant women and children
- Immigration consequences of criminal convictions
- Immigration consultant fraud committed against newcomers
- On-site technical assistance and case review
- Attorney of the Day phone, e-mail & fax technical assistance
- Training and seminars
- Manuals and other publications
- Policy and legal analysis, advocacy and reform
- Listserves and a website for practitioners
- Technical and policy assistance to social change movements
- Litigation support on select cases
- Media outreach
- Grassroots capacity building
Beyond its role as a traditional resource center, the ILRC is committed to helping newcomers develop civic participation and leadership skills. This area of effort includes:
- Training community based agencies to develop the leadership potential of their immigrant clients as a way to strengthen capacity.
- Educating newcomers of all ages about citizenship, democratic government, civic participation, media outreach and other social change tactics.
- Partnering with activists and organizers and offering legal consultations and referrals at community meetings.
- Providing legal and policy analysis on immigration issues and organizational support for immigrant-led grassroots groups.
Immigrant Advocate ILRC Newsletter
 ILRC's newsletter, the Immigrant Advocate is published two times per year. You will find elements that appear in every edition such as the Message from the Executive Director and Volunteer Voices as well as articles highlighting current ILRC programs and current issues on immigration policy. To read current or archived editions of the Immigrant Advocate, please select an issue below:
The Phillip Burton Immigration & Civil Rights Awards, established in 1989, is an annual celebration of leaders in the field of immigrant rights and a fundraiser for the ILRC. The ceremony provides an opportunity to honor leaders in policy, law and advocacy whose work to bring equality and justice to immigrants has broadly and positively affected the lives of all citizens. All funds raised from this event go directly to supporting the work of the ILRC.
The Awards are named after Phillip Burton, U.S. Representative from California (1964 - 1983), in honor of his statesmanship and strong support of immigrants and other marginalized communities.
The logo for the Burton Awards -- the sleeping man depicts a Mayan warrior who was so distraught and enraged
by what the Spanish conquerors were doing to his people and land, he fell into a deep sleep and asked to be awakened only when he could find the pleasant world he once knew. The Phillip Burton Immigration and Civil Rights Awards honor those whose outstanding work will create a society where the sleeping man can awake to
the world of his dreams.
 Click here to find out more about the 18th Annual Burton Awards on May 15, 2008.
With a lean and small staff team, ILRC is active on the local, regional and national fronts of immigration law and policy. To maximize our staff resources, ILRC calls upon volunteers to lend a helping hand. For example, volunteers are currently needed for:
- Photography
- General Admin
- Graphic Design
- Marketing projects
- Phillip Burton Immigration and Civil Rights Awards
Please, get involved today. Your help really makes a difference. To find out about volunteer opportunities and how you can join our efforts, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.
The work of the ILRC is made possible entirely through private-sector funding-foundation grants, contributions from law firms, donations from individuals and groups, and revenue from product sales. Help us to counter the ever-growing attacks on immigrants. By making a donation to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center today you can add your voice to our collective effort to stand up for the rights of newcomers!
Donations of $500 or more will automatically include you in ILRC's Circle of Friends. The Circle of Friends honors ILRC's donors by providing special communications, events and opportunities to its members in an effort to build community and recognize the commitment of this core group of supporters. Please know that whatever gift you can afford makes a difference.
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and gifts to the ILRC are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. IRS regulations require that you retain a written acknowledgement from the ILRC to support claims of a tax deduction. A receipt of any gifts will be mailed to you.
Click here to donate online or download a donation form and then mail the form and check or credit card information to:
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center
1663 Mission Street, Suite 602
San Francisco, CA 94103 |
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