New Mexico Immigrant Law Center (NMILC)

Founding and History

The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center was founded in 2010 as a fiscally sponsored project of the Center on Law and Poverty, a left-of-center public interest law firm. It was co-founded by Jennifer Landau and Megan Jordi to provide pro bono legal services to immigrants of various status in New Mexico. The organization received its own nonprofit tax status in 2013. Between its founding and the present, the organization has expanded from two staff members to over 30. ^{1 3}

Funding

In the fiscal year starting on July 1, 2019, and ending June 30, 2020, the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center had $2,889,680 in revenue, of which nearly all of it, $2,871,444, was derived from contributions and grants. The remaining $18,236 was derived from investment income. The organization had $2,132,529 in expenses, of which $1,541,510 was allocated to salaries and benefits. NMILC ended the year with a net income of $757,151, and net assets of $1,908,759, up from $1,147,820 at the beginning of the fiscal year. ⁵

Policies and Projects

The New Mexico Immigrant Law Center provides free legal screenings to immigrants of a variety of legal statuses and provides legal services free of charge if the applicant qualifies. It provides these services in a number of focused program areas. ²

Crime Victims Program

NMILC will provide pro-bono representation to people who are seeking special visas and petitions due to the applicant alleging abuse, seeking protection as a victim of violent crime, alleging forced and uncompensated labor, and seeking protection from sex trafficking. The organization states that 70 percent of the people it represents have been the victim of violent crime or trafficked. ⁶

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status

NMILC will represent, or find a pro bono attorney to represent, immigrant youths who are seeking a permanent immigration status as a result of being abandoned, abused, or neglected by their parents. In 2021, the organization represented 119 cases. ⁷

Citizenship and Residency

NMILC will assist immigrants with citizenship and green card applications, following a pre-screening for eligibility. ⁸

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

NMILC will assist people with applications and renewals for deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA). This program grants protection from deportation and work authorization to immigrants who were children when their parents illegally migrated to the U.S. ⁹

Asylum and Deportation Defense

NMILC will provide free pro se assistance to people who are seeking legal status due to a claim of being a refugee or asylee. These services include asylum applications, work permit applications, and various other forms of legal assistance. ¹⁰

Detention Programs

NMILC provides legal assistance to illegal immigrants who have been detained at the two immigrant detention facilities in New Mexico. The organization claims to have assisted thousands of detainees and states that it advocates for abolishing incarceration of suspected illegal immigrants. ⁴

Leadership

Jennifer Landau is the executive director and cofounder of the New Mexico Immigrant Law Center. She has been involved in immigration law since 2007, when she began a two-year fellowship with Diocesan Migrant and Refugee Services. Along with Megan Jordi, she founded NMILC in 2010. ^{11 1}