Immigrant Protection
Keeping immigrant communities strong.
Immigration status reverberates throughout our clients’ lives. Undocumented immigrants may be unable to access life-saving medical treatment and pursue jobs to afford basic necessities. They may also be at risk of deportation back to countries where they could face violence. They may also have their families torn apart by the immigration system.
By helping our clients secure the status to which they are entitled, we can unlock access to health care, employment, housing, and education, and keep families together. We offer comprehensive legal services in our clients’ native languages and partner with communities, providing services in trusted local spaces, such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
23,000
immigrants served by NYLAG immigration experts last year
6,300
children impacted by NYLAG’s immigration work
15,000
immigrants represented by NYLAG in removal proceedings and appeals, including people in detention
Services
Our lawyers fight for immigrants. We offer the following legal services:
- Defending people facing deportation (removal defense)
- Fighting for those seeking asylum and other humanitarian relief
- Helping clients apply for green cards through family-based petitions (adjustment of status)
- Working with survivors of intimate partner violence and other crimes to secure immigration status
- Applying for citizenship (naturalization)
Need free legal services or financial counseling?
Help us provide free legal help to immigrant families and individuals.
The Latest on Immigration Law
The New York Times: Migrants in N.Y. Shelters Face Surprising Challenge: Getting Their Mail
Allison Cutler, a Supervising Attorney in NYLAG’s Immigrant Protection Unit, spoke to The New York Times about what we’re seeing on the ground, and how missing mail only increases risk of harm to our new neighbors.
CityLimits: What You Need to Know: How Can Undocumented Spouses Apply for ‘Parole in Place’?
Maria Huel, a supervising paralegal at NYLAG’s Immigrant Protection Unit, recently spoke with CityLimits about how Parole in Place (PIP) can help immigrants meet the inspection requirement for adjusting their status, but it falls short of providing permanent immigration relief.
CityLimits: Missed Mail is Complicating Migrants’ Immigration Cases, Exacerbated by Shelter Deadlines
Allison Cutler, Supervising Attorney of NYLAG’s Pro Plus Project spoke to City Limits at length about the impacts of the shelter stay limits on Pro Se Plus Project clients’ mail.
