Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) is a left-of-center immigrant legal activist group that provides deportation defense[1] and other legal services to illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in Southern California. [2]
ImmDef supports abolishing the immigration detention system, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),[3] and dismantling and defunding police in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. [4] ImmDef also provides “post-conviction relief” for illegal immigrants facing deportation due to criminal convictions for certain crimes[5] and has received funding and government contacts from several municipalities in Southern California to provide legal services to illegal immigrants facing deportation. [6]
ImmDef has received grants from several left-of-center foundations including GRoW support, a project of the Annenberg Foundation;[7] the Weingart Foundation;[8][9] David and Lucile Packard Foundation;[10] Georgetown University;[11] the Liberty Hill Foundation;[12] the James Irvine Foundation;[13] and the Vera Institute of Justice. [14]
In 2020, ImmDef sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Immigrant Defenders Law Center v. Wolf to end the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required individuals seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases were being adjudicated. [15]
History and Leadership
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef) was founded in 2015[16] and is one of the largest legal service providers in Southern California with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Riverside. [17]
Lindsay Toczylowski is the executive director of ImmDef. Previously she was overseas operations director at Asylum Access. [18]
ImmDef associate director Susan Alva is on the board of directors of the far-left National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild and the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. [19]
Activities and Funding
Immigrant Defenders Law Center works directly with local governments in Southern California. In 2021, ImmDef signed an agreement with the City of Santa Ana to render $400,000 worth of deportation defense services for illegal immigrants between March 2021 and January 2023. [20] Terms of this agreement stipulate ImmDef shall share case-level data with the left-of-center Vera Institute of Justice (VIJ) as a part of its Safe and Fairness for Everyone (SAFE) Network campaign,[21] which provides legal representation for illegal immigrants seeking permanent residence in the U.S. [22] In June 2021, Santa Ana officials made the deportation defense fund permanent and increased fiscal year 2021-2022 funding for the program to $300,000. [23]
In 2019, the City of Long Beach selected ImmDef to evaluate and oversee a two-year legal contract to represent illegal immigrants facing deportation. This contract was funded by a $100,000 SAFE Cities grant from VIJ and a $250,000 grant from the City of Long Beach. [24]
ImmDef also participates in “justice funds” in Los Angeles, where attorneys have helped to release 49% of originally detained illegal immigrants;[25] in Orange County, where the group has provided cash assistance to illegal immigrants;[26] and in the Inland Region. [27]
ImmDef’s other activities include supporting the abolishment of the immigration prison system and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE);[28] dismantling and defunding police in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement;[29] providing legal representation for illegal immigrant children;[30] challenging deportation orders issued to illegal immigrants convicted of certain crimes;[31] attempting to reunite families separated due to detention or deportation; providing legal support to deported veterans;[32] and supporting the removal of Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (D) as a part of the left-of-center Check the Sheriff Coalition. [33]
Legal Activism
In 2020, ImmDef sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Immigrant Defenders Law Center v. Wolf to end the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which required individuals seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases were being adjudicated. [34] ImmDef was represented in this case by the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the National Immigration Project of the left-wing National Lawyers Guild, and Arnold & Porter LLP. [35]
Funding
Immigrant Defenders Law Center has received an undisclosed amount of money in grants from GRoW support, a project of the Annenberg Foundation, in 2021, 2020, and 2019. [36]
In 2019, ImmDef received $200,000 from the left-of-center Weingart Foundation;[37] [38] $150,000 from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation;[39] $20,000 from Georgetown University;[40] $10,600 from the Liberty Hill Foundation;[41] and one of ride-sharing service Lyft’s community grants. [42]
In 2018, ImmDef reported $6,627,268 of total revenue,[43] an increase from $5,073,351 in 2017; $3,272,695 in 2016; and $1,021,654 in 2015. [44]
In 2018, ImmDef received a two-year grant of $350,000 from the left-of-center James Irvine Foundation. [45] In 2017, ImmDef received $100,000 from the Vera Institute of Justice[46] and $53,064 from the left-of-center California Community Foundation[47] as a part of the $7.4 million L.A. Justice Fund. [48]
ImmDef also has received legal aid grants from The San Diego County Bar Foundation. [49]