American Gateways is a left-leaning advocacy organization which provides legal services to immigrants and refugees from Central America. Its services are provided to legal and illegal immigrants. Originally founded in 1987 as the Political Asylum Project of Austin, it provides its services to low-income immigrants in San Antonia, Austin, Waco, and other communities. ¹

In December 2023, the group joined with the ACLU of Texas, the ACLU, the Texas Civil Rights Project, and others to file a federal lawsuit against the state of Texas over SB 4, which allowed Texas state and local law enforcement to detain illegal immigrants. ²

In November 2024, the group joined with 192 other groups to sign a letter sent to President Joe Biden by the Detention Watch Network, a group calling for the end of illegal immigrant detention, to close detention facilities and release illegal immigrants from detention. ³

History

American Gateways was originally staffed largely by volunteers throughout its early years. It received grants from the National Sanctuary Defense Fund in 1989 which allowed it to hire its first employee, director Nidia Salamanca. The Texas Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts gave the then-Political Asylum Project of Austin a grant in 1990 which allowed its first attorney. ⁴

Finances

According to American Gateways’ 2023 tax returns, the group had $4,256,131 in revenue, $3,921,832 in expenses, and $3,268,356 in assets. ⁵ All but $10,237 of its revenue came from contributions, grants, and program generated revenue. In that year, the group received $2,614,453 from governments. ⁵

Much of its funding comes from its Texas-based allies. American Gateways won a $100,000 grant from the feminist group Impact Austin in 2019; the award was given on June 10. ^{6 7} Amplify Austin, a left-leaning group which funds non-profits, raised $10,000 for American Gateways in 2018. ⁸

American Gateways also held a 30-year anniversary Gala in 2017 which was sponsored by its allies. ⁹ The Gala raised $100,000 for American Gateways. ¹⁰

A reported $336,334 of American Gateways’ 2016 budget came from governments. ¹¹ The City of Austin gave American Gateways a comprehensive grant worth $135,000 to provide its services to immigrants. ¹² In 2024, the Austin City Council approved a $100,000 grant to the group. ¹³ In January 2024, the San Antonio City Council approved a $150,000 grant to the group. ¹⁴

In 2018, the U.S. Justice Department cut $750,000 worth of grant funding to the group when it cut funding for a program designed to educate illegal immigrants about their legal rights and the immigration court process. ¹⁵

In 2024, the group received around $1.1 million in subcontracts from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Justice Management Division through the left-leaning Acacia Center for Justice which is a massive increase from the $202,500 the group from the federal government in 2023. In 2022, the group received $707,900 from the Texas Office of the Governor to provide shelter services in some parts of Texas. ¹⁶

Beginning in 2020, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation provided $200,000 in grants to the group. ¹⁷

Mission

American Gateways provides its legal services and educational programs in 23 Texas counties at low to no cost to low-income immigrant clients. ¹⁸ Its focus is on immigrants fleeing conflict, torture, persecution, and human trafficking. It often represents immigrants in court. It has offices in San Antonio, Waco, and Austin. ¹⁹

The organization also seeks to create sympathy for immigrants, including those illegally in the nation. ²⁰

Among its non-representation services are several guidance documents for immigrants and attorneys regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests at courthouses. ²¹

Activism

After the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, American Gateways helped Afghans fleeing to the United States receive asylum. ²²

In December 2023, the group joined the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center and El Paso County in suing the state of Texas in federal court to block the implementation of SB 4, which allowed state and local law enforcement to detain illegal immigrants and allow Texas judges to order the deportation of illegal immigrants. The ACLU of Texas, ACLU, and the Texas Civil Rights Project represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. ² In March 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the law to go into effect while the lawsuit worked its way through the federal courts. ²³

In June 2024, the group applauded an executive order by President Joe Biden which sought to give the illegal immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens relief from deportation. ²⁴

In July 2024, the group shared an article from the New York Times which claimed illegal immigrants were less likely to commit crimes than native born Americans. ²⁵

In September 2024, the group’s co-executive director Edna Yang reacted to the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris with the statement, “In this debate, we sadly heard a former president spout a series of hateful, fictional, xenophobic statements about immigrants. ²⁶

In September 2024, the group appeared at a local chapter meeting of the anti-gun group Moms Demand Action and gave a presentation. ²⁷

In November 2024, after the second election of Donald Trump, the group joined 192 other groups in signing a letter written to President Joe Biden by the Detention Watch Network, a group seeking to end all illegal immigrant detention, calling on President Biden to close immigration detention facilities, block expansion of those facilities, and to release illegal immigrants held by the federal government. ³

In November 2024, the group’s co-executive director Edna Yang criticized mass deportation proposals saying, “If we only focus on deportation, on closing the border, it’s going to lead to separating families. It’s going to exacerbate problems.” ²⁸

Leadership

As of December 2024, the chair of the board was immigration attorney Jennifer Walker Gates. Technology attorney Cat Garza is a former American Gateways’ chair of the board. ^{29 30} Many American Gateways board members are attorneys and activists, including former Texas AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Montserrat Garibay, who as of December 2024 is the senior advisor for labor relations in the U.S. Department of Education. ³⁰

Among other board members were Josh Cabellero, who was the secretary of the board and a community engagement officer for the city of Waco, and Moshmee Kalamkar, who at the time was the director of operations for the University of Texas system. ³¹

The group has a leadership council made up of members from the communities which the group serves. Among the members of the leadership council are pro-abortion activist and former Planned Parenthood Federation of America president Cecile Richards. ³¹

Rebecca Lightsey is American Gateways’ co-executive director. She was hired on March 6th, 2017. ³² Lightsey previously worked as an assistant general counsel to former Texas Governor Ann Richards (D). ³³ Lightsey replaced interim executive director Robert Painter, who had been with American Gateways since 2014. As of December 2024, Palmer is no longer with the group. ³¹

As of December 2024, the group’s managing attorney is Whitney Drake, who has been with the group since 2016. She was previously a law clerk for Judge Priscilla Richman on the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and worked for Advocates for Human Rights. ³⁴

Edna Yang is American Gateways’ co-executive director. She was interim executive director in 2012 and has worked for the organization since 2002. The group appointed her co-executive director in October 2020. Before joining the group, Yang worked as an attorney focusing on asylum cases both in the U.S. and abroad. ³⁵

1.  American Gateways, About, Accessed June 9, 2019. http://www.americangateways.org/about/
2. “Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center et al v. Steven C. McCraw et Al.” ACLU of Texas. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.aclutx.org/en/cases/las-americas-immigrant-advocacy-center-et-al-v-steven-c-mccraw-et-al.
3. “193 Organizations Urge the Biden Administration to Take Decisive Action to Protect Immigrants.” Detention Watch Network, November 15, 2024. https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/pressroom/releases/2024/193-organizations-urge-biden-administration-take-decisive-action-protect.
4. University of Texas, Texas Archival Resources Online, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://legacy.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utlac/00104/lac-00104.html
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6. Impact Austin, About, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://impactaustin.org/about.
7. Twitter, Impact Austin page, June 4, 2019. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://twitter.com/Impact_ATX/status/1135871457735712769
8. American Gateways, “Thanks to Amplify Austin donors!” March 19, 2018. Accessed June 9, 2019. http://www.americangateways.org/thanks-to-amplify-austin-donors/
9. American Gateways, Gateway Awards Gala, Accessed June 9, 2019. http://www.americangateways.org/event/gateway-awards-gala/
10.  Nancy Miller Barton, “And the winner is…American Gateways! Nonprofit support group offers a night honoring the real stars,” October 18, 2017. Accessed June 9, 2019. https://texaslifestylemag.com/general/american-gateways/
11. Foundation Center, American Gateways 2016 990, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/742/742578266/742578266_201708_990.pdf In 2018.
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13. Quinlan, Maggie. “Austin City Council Keeps Chugging along on Progressive Investments.” The Austin Chronicle, November 8, 2024. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2024-11-08/austin-city-council-keeps-chugging-along-on-progressive-investments/.
14. Mendoza, Mariza. “City Council Working on 2025 Budget; Is Migrant Spending in the Budget?” San Antonio News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News, August 28, 2024. https://news4sanantonio.com/amp/news/local/city-council-working-on-2025-budget-migrant-spending-in-the-budget.
15. Williams, Monica. “Giving City: $750,000 in Funding Cut for Immigrant Legal Assistance.” Statesman, April 13, 2018. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2018/04/13/giving-city-750000-in-funding-cut-for-immigrant-legal-assistance/9986955007/.
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19.  American Gateways, Apply for Services, Accessed June 9, 2019. http://www.americangateways.org/get-help/apply-for-services/
20. End Slavery Now, American Gateways, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.endslaverynow.org/american-gateways
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22. Graham, Benton. “One Afghan Family’s Journey to Safety in Texas.” The Austin Chronicle, January 6, 2023. https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2023-01-06/one-afghan-familys-journey-to-safety-in-texas/.
23. Gore, Hogan. “US Supreme Court Reverses Decision on SB 4, Allows Texas Immigration Law to Take Effect.” Austin American-Statesman, March 19, 2024. https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/03/19/supreme-court-allows-texas-immigration-policy-sb-4-to-take-effect/73030782007/.
24. “American Gateways.” Facebook, June 18, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/americangateways/posts/pfbid0huX13UKSvRLxLT3CcJ6MGBqn9yPB1KqMjPpghcorDtfeFVm9sjGb26zFacgsfoctl.
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28. “Edna Kvue Final FB.MP4: Edna Yang, Co-Executive Director of American Gateways, Highlights the Risks of Mass Deportation: “if We Only Focus on Deportation, on Closing the Border,…: By American Gateways.” Facebook, November 15, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1133161144893838.
29. Norton Rose Fulbright, Cat Garza, Accessed June 9, 2019. https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-us/people/17203
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31. “Who We Are.” American Gateways. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.americangateways.org/our-team-item.
32. American Gateways, “American Gateways announces hiring new director,” March 6, 2017. Accessed June 9, 2019. http://www.americangateways.org/american-gateways-announces-hiring-new-director/
33. “Rebecca Lightsey.” American Gateways. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.americangateways.org/our-staff/rebecca-lightsey.
34. “Whitney Drake.” American Gateways. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.americangateways.org/our-staff/whitney-drake.
35. “Edna Yang – Co Executive Director – American Gateways.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 9, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/edna-yang-6b00a69.