The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) immigration attorneys’ expertise focuses on family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship, immigration enforcement, and removal defense.

Since 1979 we have helped expand the immigration expertise of attorneys, nonprofit staff, criminal defenders, and others assisting immigrant clients.

In addition to authoring the ILRC’s practice manuals, our expert attorneys have been published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ILW.com, Huffington Post, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Law and Social Policy, The Hill, LexisNexis Emerging Issues, and Fox News Latino.
 
We have also provided training to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, Federal Bar Association, The State Bar of California, Legal Aid Association of California, Judicial Council of California and more.

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Unaccompanied Alien Children Op-Ed

07/08/2014
Immigrant Youth
This op-ed on Unaccompanied Alien Children was written by one of our summer law interns, Kathleen Kavanagh. In recent months, we’ve seen an unprecedented jump in child arrivals mostly from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The Official Border Patrol statistics show that over 47,000 unaccompanied minors have already been apprehended in the first eight months of fiscal year 2014. Read the...
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New Credible Fear Standard

Asylum
06/30/2014

This recording features Lourdes Martinez and guest attorney, Niloufar Khonsari, discussing the various concerns advocates have regarding the new credible fear lesson plan for asylum officers.

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Travel Options for DACA Recipients Podcast - English

DACA
06/13/2014

In this podcast we discuss travel options, also known as Advance Parole, for DACA recipients.  We review how and when DACA recipients may apply for advance parole, and share some of the risks and important considerations they should be aware of before leaving the country.

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Expansion of the Former § 212(c) Relief

03/21/2014
Crimes
A permanent resident with convictions from before April 1, 1997 may be eligible for a powerful waiver under the former INA § 212(c)—even if the offense was an aggravated felony. Yielding to the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in Judulang , the BIA has dramatically increased the type of offenses that can be waived. See practice advisory by the NIPNLG and IDP, entitled "Matter of Abdelghany:...
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U Visa Database of Law Enforcement Certifiers and Travel/Consulate Information

03/19/2014
U Visa/T Visa/VAWA
Immigration Center for Women and Children (ICWC) administers a database of information sourced from more than 700 advocates nationwide with helpful information about law enforcement agencies who certify victim helpfulness for U cases and consulates abroad who issue U visas. The database includes information on who the U certifying officers are and where to send the requests, as well as the most...
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The California TRUST Act: A Guide for Criminal Defenders

01/09/2014
Crimes
Enforcement
On October 5, 2013, Governor Brown signed AB 4, the TRUST Act, which went into effect January 1, 2014. It will be codified as Gov. Code §§ 7282, 7282.5. The TRUST Act prevents local law enforcement from detaining noncitizens pursuant to an immigration “hold” or detainer beyond the time that they otherwise could be released from criminal custody. This Guide discusses how the TRUST Act works and...
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Understanding AB1024 and its Impact on Undocumented Law Students

DACA
10/22/2013

During this interview with ILRC founder, Bill Hing, you will hear a series of questions regarding the significance of the passage of AB1024 by state legislature and Governor Brown's signing. We also address why the Obama Administration opposed the issuance of a license to Sergio Garcia, the undocumented law graduate who passed the California State Bar.

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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Fact Sheet

10/10/2013
DACA
Deferred Action is a form of prosecutorial discretion that provides a work permit and relief from removal for two years to certain eligible undocumented youth. This fact sheet outlines the benefits of DACA, who is eligible and the requirements.
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ICE Parental Directive

09/25/2013
Enforcement
On August 23, 2013, ICE issued a directive on “Facilitating Parental Interests in the Course of Civil Immigration Enforcement Activities.” This document summarizes the guidelines laid out in the directive.
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Family-Based Immigration: Now and Under S.744

09/12/2013
Policy Advocacy
Immigration reform has only been approved by the Senate, but as the bill currently stands, S.744 changes several things about the family-based system and also adds merit-based tracks. This document summarizes the proposed changes and additions.
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DOS FAQs for Post-DOMA

08/30/2013
LGBT
The Department of State answers frequently asked questions regarding non-immigrant and immigrant visa benefits for same-sex spouses.
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Powerpoint on Immigration Reform

08/14/2013
Policy Advocacy
The powerpoint focuses on the paths to citizenship, future flow, and enforcement provisions that are in the Senate immigration reform bill titled “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” (S. 744).

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