Immigration Center for Women and Children

Background

The Immigration Center for Women and Children was founded in 2004 by Suzanne L. McCormick, a former staff attorney for Public Counsel, as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, California. Later the organization opened another office in 2010 in San Fransisco, another in 2012 in San Diego, and another in 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of May 2024, the organization claims to have worked with more than 50,000 individuals. ^{3 1 4}

Activities

The Immigration Center for Women and Children provides free legal services, trainings, and programs intended to assist illegal immigrants in gaining legal residency status through United States federal policies and programs. The organization focuses on individuals who claim to have suffered from domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual assault, and other related crimes. ¹

For instance, the center offers services aimed at assisting unaccompanied children seek asylum, helping eligible youth obtain temporary relief from deportation through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, assisting non-detained illegal immigrants in immigration court proceedings in San Francisco, providing legal orientations for custodians of unaccompanied children released from the United States Office of Refugee and Resettlement custody, helping eligible children obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, assisting victims of certain crimes obtain visas pursuant to the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, and helping eligible individuals obtain immigration status pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act. ²

Policies

The Immigration Center for Women and Children supports the Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (WISE) Act introduced on August 7, 2023 by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), which if passed would expand certain protections granted by the Violence Against Women Act and Trafficking Victim Protection Act to eligible illegal immigrants. For instance, the bill would grant work authorizations to and prohibit the deportation of eligible individuals whose immigration cases are still pending. ⁵

Funding

The Immigration Center for Women and Children has received grants from left-of-center organizations and other donor-advised-fund providers including the Network for Good, Liberty Hill Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, and the Blue Shield of California Foundation. ^{6 7}

Leadership

Suzanne L. McCormick is the founder, president of the board of directors, and executive director of the Immigration Center for Women and Children. Previously, she worked as a staff attorney at Public Counsel and was the co-director of the Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund. ⁴

Jessica Farb is the directing attorney and deputy director of the Immigration Center for Women and Children. Previously, she was a staff attorney at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area. ⁸