AMERICANS FOR IMMIGRANT JUSTICE

AI Justice is committed to protecting and promoting the basic human rights of immigrants. Through a unique combination of free direct services, impact litigation, policy reform, and public education at local, state, and national levels, we aim to bring about an American society where immigrants are not subjected to abuse or injustice; are not afraid to seek help; have a fair opportunity to make their case in the system that governs them; and have their contributions valued and encouraged.

AI Justice works to ensure that the most vulnerable immigrants in our community have a voice and access to crucial services. AI Justice achieves outstanding results both systemically and for individual clients by employing a unique combination of free legal services, impact litigation, policy reform, and public education. Grounded in real-world, real-people experience, AI Justice's direct services work with immigrant clients informs its policy work. Recognizing that assistance must be comprehensive to have a lasting impact, staff assist clients in a holistic manner in which partnerships and collaborations are crucial. AI Justice proactively makes services available by being present in immigration court for those who may show up to their first appearance without an attorney, going to domestic violence shelters and having a regular presence at local detention facilities. AI Justice also provides extensive consultation and technical assistance to other organizations both locally and nationally, and regularly provides Know Your Rights presentations which inform and empower community members.

AI Justice has more than two decades of experience serving clients, advocating for policy reform, and educating and training community members and organizations. Our vast experience and team of highly qualified, multilingual and multicultural staff, allow AI Justice to respond quickly and strategically to the increasing challenges that immigrants in the United States face. Since we opened our doors in 1996, AI Justice has served over 120,000 immigrants, and our holistic model of action combined with our long-standing partnerships and cross-sector relationships ensure lasting change for not just our clients, but for the community as a whole.

AI Justice has transformed the lives of many individuals and families, and successfully challenged unfair or illegal immigration policies and practices throughout the years. Staff created the model for obtaining the release from detention of DREAMers, and in 2010 represented the four DREAMers who walked 1500 miles, from Miami to Washington, D.C., to call attention to the need for immigration reform. AI Justice's Executive Director, Cheryl Little, published a groundbreaking report on DREAMers which was distributed widely to members of Congress, NGOs and the media, and worked closely with former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz to convince the Obama Administration to grant Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), meeting with White House staff three weeks before DACA was announced. Staff continue working on behalf of DREAMers, providing regular Know Your Rights presentations on college campuses and hosting legal screening clinics throughout Florida. For years our Children's Legal Program has been the lead agency in a partnership providing holistic services to unaccompanied minors that was recognized as “a model program for care providers throughout the country" by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). With AI Justice's representation, many of them have gone on to graduate high school, attend college, and contribute to our economy. Our Lucha Program is internationally recognized for successfully representing clients forced into modern slavery in high-profile, precedent-setting cases ranging from sexual slavery to indentured servitude in the fields of South Florida. AI Justice worked closely with the FBI and US attorney's office on a human trafficking case that spanned a decade and became a model for Department of Justice officials. AI Justice also played an important role in the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), without which countless survivors would have been denied the opportunity to rebuild their lives here. Following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, AI Justice played a key role in ensuring that Haitians nationwide obtained Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and that those in Miami eligible for relief received free legal help. Since the subsequent termination of Haitian TPS, AI Justice has redoubled efforts to reach the Haitian-American community with Know Your Rights presentations, free legal screening clinics, and direct representation. In 2013 AI Justice took the lead in successful campaign to end Miami-Dade County's cooperation with ICE's Secure Communities Enforcement Program, which was supposed to target hardened criminals but lead to the deportation of countless residents with no criminal history or with minor traffic violations only, tearing innocent families apart.