American Immigration Council
Honoring our immigrant past. Shaping our immigrant future.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
In all its work, the Council seeks out and promotes the problem-solvers and creative thinkers who can help us shape a more humane and fair approach to immigration—not only as a matter of law and policy, but also as a tool for continuing to protect and nourish the values of tolerance and dignity on which the United States was founded.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Program
Through research and policy analysis, litigation and communications, and international exchange, the Council seeks to shape a twenty-first century vision of the American immigrant experience.
We use the courts to demand a fair judicial process for immigrants and to stand up for their rights. The Council works to achieve justice and fairness for immigrants under the law. The Council is highly respected for its willingness and ability to bring cutting-edge lawsuits that hold the government accountable for unlawful conduct and restrictive interpretations and implementation of the law.
We use the facts to educate the public on the important and enduring contributions that immigrants make to America. The Council is a national leader in challenging the myths and misinformation that too often dominate the political and public debate around immigration. Through research and analysis, the Council promotes the development of fair and rational immigration policies that reflect fundamental American values.
We use cultural exchange to connect American businesses with the global market of ideas and innovation. The Council sponsors interns and trainees for programs that secure the prosperity and cultural richness of a globally engaged society. Our experts provide direct support and training to participants, host communities, and attorneys involved in the Exchange Visitor Program.
Legal Department
The Legal Department works to advance fundamental fairness in U.S. immigration law and to protect the constitutional and legal rights of noncitizens. In pursuit of its mission, the legal department has established itself as a leader in litigation, information-sharing, and collaboration among immigration litigators across the country. The legal department works with other immigrants' rights, civil rights and human rights organizations and immigration attorneys throughout the United States to promote the just and fair administration of our immigration laws and the accountability of immigration agencies.
Policy Department
The Council's Policy Department is the policy and research arm of the Council. It is dedicated to producing and supporting research and analysis about the contributions made to America by immigrants and immigration, particularly focusing on the economic and social contributions made possible by a well-regulated immigration policy. The Policy Department publishes fact sheets, perspectives pieces and special reports. The Policy Department also works to disseminate its studies and papers to a broad audience of both national policymakers and media and local opinion leaders in cities throughout the country. Congressional briefings, press conferences, and symposia are also used.
Cultural Exchange Program (CEP)
The Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) promotes the understanding of temporary immigration and participation in the global economy by sponsoring j-1 visas for international trainees and interns at U.S. businesses of all sizes. Designated by the U.S. Department of State to offer an exchange visitor program, the CEP facilitates emerging professionals to develop career enhancing skills at U.S. companies to use in their home countries. The participating businesses and institutions will, in turn, benefit from exposure to varying cultures in the countries into which they are operating or into which they are expanding. Short term outbound programs periodically offer Americans.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The American Immigration Council, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is a powerful voice in promoting laws, policies, and attitudes that honor our proud history as a nation of immigrants. Through research and policy analysis, litigation and communications, and international exchange, the Council seeks to shape a twenty-first century vision of the American immigrant experience.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We use the courts to demand a fair judicial process for immigrants and to stand up for their rights. The Council works to achieve justice and fairness for immigrants under the law. The Council is highly respected for its willingness and ability to bring cutting-edge lawsuits that hold the government accountable for unlawful conduct and restrictive interpretations and implementation of the law.
We use the facts to educate the public on the important and enduring contributions that immigrants make to America.The Council is a national leader in challenging the myths and misinformation that too often dominate the political and public debate around immigration. Through research and analysis, the Council promotes the development of fair and rational immigration policies that reflect fundamental American values.
We use cultural exchange to connect American businesses with the global market of ideas and innovation.The Council sponsors interns and trainees for programs that secure the prosperity and cultural richness of a globally engaged society. Our experts provide direct support and training to participants, host communities, and attorneys involved in the Exchange Visitor Program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We plan to achieve our goals by following a strategic plan that is a culmination of a year long collaborative process amongst key Council stakeholders - staff, board members, constituents - and has been led by the strategic planning working group and an outside consultant. The Council decided to undergo this process at this juncture because the confluence of new leadership, a changing political landscape, and a greater influx of resources has created a new and expanded possibilities for what the Council can achieve.
This strategic plan is intended as a five year guide (June 2018 through June 2023) for the organization and its leadership as it navigates a tumultuous political climate, scope-bending opportunities, and a new level of human and financial capital to manage. We review our progress as it relates to this strategic plan quarterly in our Progress to Goals report, which is published internally four times a year. We evaluate how our actions have moved us closer towards the goals laid out in our strategic plan and elaborate on what action needs to be taken next to align us closer to our strategic plan.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
This past quarter in 2019 we jointly drafted and submitted to the Department of Homeland Security a complaint challenging poor conditions that women and children experience while in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody in the Rio Grande Valley. Relatedly, we jointly hosted a briefing for approximately 40 hill offices on the “remain in Mexico” program. We also collaborated on the submission of comments to two new regulations announced by the immigration agencies; this work involved drafting and disseminating model comments, including model comments for AILA members. Our collaborations on this front also targeted broader networks and a broader public. For example, we teamed up with the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Save the Children on a #HarmInDetention campaign, including a Twitter storm. The campaign resulted in 1,209 emails to Congress, nearly 4 million accounts reached on Twitter, and more than 12 million impressions.
In terms of viewership and media saturation, this past quarter of 2019 was outstanding. We had over 350,000 visitors view over 560,000 pages of content on our website. July was a record-breaking month on the media front with news reports on threats of ICE raids, the release of the enforcement outcomes report, the expansion of expedited removal, a win in one our detention-related lawsuits, the asylum ban, and donations to the Council in response to the Trump’s ‘send her back’ rally chant. The Council’s publications, litigation, staff, and Immigration Impact were cited in 216 news stories by 569 media outlets in the United States, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. In August 2019, the Council was cited in 98 news stories by 316 media outlets.
Also, this quarter, we continued to draw attention to and worked to improve conditions in detention. Last quarter, we filed a complaint with the government demonstrating inadequate medical care at a Colorado immigration detention center; this quarter, we have begun to see congressional oversight and accountability increasing at this detention center. In addition, we exposed the woefully inadequate medical care in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention in the Rio Grande Valley, through the filing of an administrative complaint with the FBI and DHS. We also continue to positively impact the detention landscape through our Padilla case, which challenges delayed credible fear interviews and bond hearings with procedural protections for certain asylum-seekers.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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American Immigration Council
Board of directorsas of 05/16/2022
F. Daniel Siciliano
F. Daniel Siciliano
Sui Chung
Catalina Restrepo
Philippa Moore
Torey Carter-Conneen
Florence Chamberlin
Brynne Craig
Leslie Ditrani
John Feinblatt
Scott FitzGerald
Monica Fuentes
Zachary Nightingale
Denyse Sabagh
Monique Sherman
William Stock
Kelli Stump
Jeff Joseph
Benjamin E Johnson
Jeremy Robbins
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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